Schooling starts for class of 2019

After a thrilling weekend of World Cup quarter-finals in England, we are finally down to the business end of the tournament but, of course, Ireland will not be there.

Amid the doom and gloom that followed the crushing 43-20 defeat to Argentina at the Millennium Stadium and the debate about the relative merits of northern and southern hemisphere rugby after South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia joined the Pumas in the last four for this weekend’s semi-finals, the Irish Examiner looks at where Irish rugby goes from here, what problems need addressing and who will be flying the flag for Ireland when the next World Cup comes around at Japan 2019.

While a second Rugby Championship of the year is played out at Twickenham over the next two weekends, those involved with the Ireland camp will take time out to lick their wounds after their heaviest quarter-final defeat at a World Cup, eclipsing the 43-21 defeat to France in 2003.