The critic's of Ireland's performance at Twickenham are ignoring how hard it can be to play against 14 men but Andy Farrell's side still didn't learn lessons from the Italy game.
Ireland's triumph over the All Blacks was based on a more expansive style of play but at its heart it was an ability to stay calm which can be truly encouraging as Andy Farrell's side face even bigger challenges over the next two years.
Ireland's performance against Japan was radically different to the first two years under Andy Farrell and the Joe Schmidt era but at this delicate stage of development, a heavy defeat against New Zealand would be a killer blow.
The All Blacks coach Ian Foster has his detractors. They have been silenced by his team's performances in recent months but the big tests are to come, their former coach Steve Hansen tells New Zealand journalist Robert van Royen.
Ireland aren't bad enough to give out about or good enough to get excited about so where does Andy Farrell go from here?
Gary Keegan has been involved in many of the most important developments in Irish sport. As a Dublin footballer, Paul Flynn worked with Keegan and in this conversation they discuss leadership, living in the present and Jim Gavin's endless curiosity.
It's naive to assume Irish women's rugby has hit rock bottom with losses to Spain and Scotland. The way the IRFU are handling it, things can always get worse.
After retiring from an unpaid career in elite rugby, Yvonne Comer decided to transfer the skills she learned on the pitch to a career in business. More recently, Comer merged these two passions and co-founded RugbySmarts.
© 2026 Currency Media Limited
