Let’s play with a spark and a smile

IRRESPECTIVE of what happens on Saturday against Romania, the autumn series has left more questions than answers about the current health of Irish rugby.

For years, Irish sides have struggled against southern hemisphere opposition. Therefore, successive wins in the last two seasons over Australia and South Africa quite rightly lifted the expectation levels of those with even a passing interest in the state of the game in this country. With Ireland also recording a notable victory over a strong Argentinean side last November, the hype approaching the Six Nations championship reached an all-time high. Successive defeats to France and Wales at the tail end of that tournament have had an adverse effect on the squad.

With both South Africa and New Zealand undefeated on their respective current tours, recent trends have altered. Over the past few seasons, teams from this part of the world have suffered badly when venturing south at the end of the season. Likewise England, Ireland, Wales and France have all recorded notable victories over our southern hemisphere rivals when they contested their autumn tours.