It is funny how a narrative can develop. Two weeks ago, Ireland were a flailing, failing, ageing side past its prime and in need of a major rebuild. Andy Farrell, it was said, had failed to regenerate a champion side in time, leaving the days of Six Nations grand slams and World Cup contention behind them. An old-school scrap over the No 10 shirt along Leinster/Munster lines had not yet reached a satisfying conclusion; those moved on had not adequately replaced, while those elder statesmen that remained were no longer providing the impact required to compete at the top level. Forget the fact, for a moment, that many of those same individuals had just been part of a British and Irish Lions series success – a crisis clearly loomed.
A win over an Australia limping over the line in a marathon year has clearly not cured all ills but there is a renewed sense of optimism around Ireland as they ready themselves for a meeting with the world champion Springboks. A few nagging concerns remain over the age profile of Farrell’s team, but, as top international coaches are fond of saying, things are seldom as bad as the commentariat might suggest they seem. This was, of course, a team that had lost twice in 2025 – however concerning aspects of their Six Nations defenestration by France and flat Chicago showing against New Zealand had been, a bad side, this clearly was not.
