Best: We don’t have ‘freaks’. We have to get the collective right

Frustrated, inconsistent and more susceptible to upsets than their top-tier rivals.

Rory Best has admitted it did not take much for his Ireland team to fall below the performance levels that saw them named World Rugby’s team of the year just 11 months ago, but the veteran captain is determined to get his squad back on track, starting with a weekend of craic and camaraderie as far away from rugby as is possible in the midst of a World Cup campaign.