Donal Lenihan: The real business of winning a World Cup starts now
The games against Tonga and Romania were a means to an end, the value of which can only be truly evaluated after the South African game.
BUSINESS TIME: Jonathan Sexton of Ireland directs a maul during the 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B match between Ireland and Tonga at Stade de la Beaujoire. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
If the three warm-up games against Italy, England and Samoa in August represented phase one of this World Cup journey for Ireland, phase two reached a near-ideal conclusion with an impressive 43-point win over Tonga to complement the thrashing of Romania in round one.
A 15th win on the trot and an unbeaten 2023 to date sets Ireland up perfectly for the final phase that, in effect, amounts to five knockout games on the bounce, starting with the reigning champions South Africa next Saturday night in Paris.
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