Your prefered QF

So that’s why they were like that with some of the Munster fans too? Very interesting contribution.

Based on performance. In our last 4 games we've stuttered passed England x2, Italy and Samoa. Had we come up against a good side in the warm ups, we would have lost heavily. In a way I wish that had happened, because judging by the comments here, we're in need of a good wake up call so that people might actually open their eyes to our poor form. I just hope our coaches aren't as blind to our issues and are actually working on solutions. If we don't start playing well quickly, we're in for a very rude awakening against South Africa and yet another early exit.

See, this is why the rest of the rugby World laughs at us. We harp on about our achievements between World Cups and anoint ourselves as the best team in the world and then invariably flop at the World Cup when it really matters. And judging by our current form, that's exactly where we're headed again. We once again peaked while other teams we're preparing for the World Cup. The reason everyone is being so defensive is because deep down they know I'm right.

Tell me, if we're as great as you say we are, why do the bookies have us as 4th favourites?

World Cup matches are literally the most relevant. Something Irish rugby could do with learning.

That’s because you are a fan of rugby and Ireland, unlike the person you are responding to. Their only joy is in Ireland losing. Which explains the bitterness when we lose rarely.

This is a tough one. And my perspective may change over the next few weeks, but right now I’d rather NZ. I think our style works well against them and they are a bit up and down still. But France are a funny side in that they can lose focus and/or concentration quite easily and be vulnerable. The problem is you just don’t know when that might be. We can beat both, but I’d fancy our chances better against NZ as things stand.

I’d agree there is some fragility there. But I think that’s understandable. The likes of England and SA have this innate confidence because that’s part of their national identity, plus they’ve grown up watching their teams deliver in big pressurised games. The more you see it, the easier it is.

Ireland hasn’t exactly got a long history of that. It’s really only been this last generation or so that have built up to a point to have the goods to back it up. It takes time to build that innate confidence. It’s not just a switch that can be flicked. Sadly, you can lose confidence quickly, but building it up is a lot harder and a lot slower!

That said, I think France can be jittery too. Again, I think that’s a cultural thing. NZ can be as well as they have started to see their aura fade before them. Being the generation in place for that is going to hurt and I don’t think they have that general cultural confidence thing at all.

SA and England are the only 2 countries I’d associate with that sort of confidence. And England don’t have it right now for obvious reasons. Which is one of the reasons I reckon that this RWC is well set up for SA. A team that have won just a single Rugby Championship in over 10 years. It’s crazy to think they could have more RWC titles in that time than anything else.

Yet the closest we got to a semi final was in 1991.

And if you look at the last 12 years, we actually haven't been getting any closer. 2011-Lost by 12 in the quarter finals. 2015-Lost by 23 in the quarters. 2019-Lost by 32 points in the quarters. That doesn't suggest progress to me.

I love how you take whatever metrics suit your position and ignore all other ones. Irish rugby has been in a very definitive upward trend for the last 20 years or so. This is literally the only monkey still on our back. We’ll break it eventually. It may not be this year but it will happen. And it’s okay to enjoy all the other stuff in between.

They stopped choking and started delivering

Of course. But the recent form of ourselves and our likely opponents suggest our trend will continue.