France’s record-breaking metrics set a new benchmark. Ireland’s own data told its own story - kicking and scrummaging woes, physical dominance, attacking shortfalls, and fine margins.
Twickenham answered lots of questions about this team, and the reaction of the coaching staff showed it. It was Ireland's recalibration. Now comes the test of whether they can sustain it.
Remember when Ireland were the side that thrived in chaos? When the pace lifted, we got sharper. Now, when it speeds up, we’re the ones making the mistakes.
The stats say Ireland competed. The scoreboard — and the eye test — said otherwise. France’s 36-14 dismantling in Paris exposed an Irish side struggling for identity, cohesion, and conviction.
Ireland's reliance on Andrew Porter at loosehead prop is made painfully clear by appearance stats. The system has struggled to produce viable replacements and Andy Farrell is now paying the price.
2026 must deliver greater coherence, alignment, and hopefully a few more trophies. However, this may require fundamental shifts in thinking and more difficult personnel decisions.
From conversations with the key decision-makers in sport to investigative looks at how major sporting bodies are funded and run, The Currency covers sport with a perspective all our own.
Andy Farrell's Ireland pride themselves on evidence-based decision-making, but right now the numbers are showing clearly that they're well off the level they attained in 2023. The big question is: are they willing to confront what the data is telling them?
Tadhg Beirne’s rescinded red card wasn’t just a mistake — it was a symptom of a deeper problem. Referees are no longer judging the game; they’re taking instructions from invisible voices.
In Touching Distance, Brendan Fanning charts how Irish rugby transformed from chaotic amateurism to a global powerhouse — and why, despite unprecedented success, the sport still can’t quite grasp the ultimate prize.
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