Best urges new boys to pick up the baton

RORY BEST has lamented the biggest disappointment of his career but challenged the next batch to carry on the work of Ireland’s golden generation.

At 29, hooker Best, arguably Ireland’s player of the tournament, falls between the new and old guards and can expect to play a prominent role in Ireland’s future as a senior figure over the next four years.

Yet while there was bitter frustration at the thought of an opportunity wasted by being knocked out of this World Cup by Wales at the quarter-final stage, Best said there were plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

“I think that while we have a few older, experienced players, our back-row’s average age is 26, we have Cian Healy, who turned 24 the other day, Keith Earls, Tommy Bowe, Rob Kearney, Jonny Sexton — all young men,” Best said.

“We have a lot of good young players there so I think while at some stage in the next two, three, four, five years, there will be a few players who will drop out, we have plenty of great young players. There’s no doubt the standard has been set over the last 10 years by a group of players and it’s up to the boys left to keep it going.

He added: “There’s been nothing said about anyone leaving. Evolution will have it that over the next few years people will lose their spot, decide to retire or what have you, and it’s up to other boys to grab that baton and take it on.”

For a while, though, defeat to Wales will weigh heavily and asked if it was the biggest disappointment of his career, Best replied: “It’s up there now. Four years ago we never really stood a chance after the first two games, so it was just disappointment after disappointment.

“This is one where we had such a massive opportunity to be in the last four and the top four teams in the world and we’ve really let that slip by us. So from that point of view it has to be right up there.

“We didn’t crow about it the way we did four years ago, but deep down we felt we had enough firepower in our squad to do it.

“There are some good memories there but for all of us at the minute, because we’re reflecting in the heat of the moment, we’re disappointed to be going home early.”