World Cup will be the Hunger Games for Ireland, says Marshall

Rhys Marshall has backed Ireland to turn their Six Nations disappointment into a ‘really hungry’ World Cup campaign when the national team heads to Japan this autumn. Ireland signed off from the 2019 championship in the worst possible manner last Saturday when they were humbled by a Grand Slam-clinching Wales, who promptly replaced Joe Schmidt’s side as number two in the overall rankings, behind world champions New Zealand.

Schmidt’s fellow New Zealander Marshall, the Munster hooker, believes the 25-7 defeat to Wales will have registered back home with a rugby nation still poring over the All Blacks’ loss in Dublin only last November — but warned against anyone believing Ireland are a spent force.