GEORGE GREGAN LOOKS at Ireland’s recent run of form and delivers a word of warning.
“I remember 2018, what a year. And then a few injuries, a couple of results… It’s sport and confidence is a real funny thing,” says the former Australia scrum-half.
“There’s no way you would have predicted what happened in 2019 a year out, and that’s why it’s difficult to be talking about a World Cup now.”
Gregan is on the topic of World Cups because for the last year, every big Ireland Test game has been framed around what it might mean come France 2023.
The Australian is well qualified to offer Ireland some words of wisdom. The most-capped Wallaby of all time, the former Brumbies player was a key part of the Australia side that captured the Webb Ellis Cup in 1999.
“It feels like it’s starting tomorrow, but there’s still so much water under the bridge before then,” he continues.
“It’s about the mindset of your players going into it, thinking, ‘OK, it’s a new tournament’ and that’s the really hard thing about a World Cup, when you finally get there it’s a seven-week sprint and what you’ve done before that, to be fair, really doesn’t matter.
It can help you because you can call upon the big moments that you have experienced, but it’s still a different beast, the Rugby World Cup. It’s good to be going in and playing well, developing your squad and winning. But it’s always dangerous to be talking about a World Cup this far out because there are so many variables still to play out.”
Australia can often blow hot and cold in between World Cups but their record at the tournament is far superior to Ireland’s – champions in 1991 and 1999, the Wallabies have also finished as runners-up twice, third once, and reached the semi-finals on six occasions.
Ireland will head to France next year looking to break the quarter-final barrier for the first time.
“I’m not being smart, but they’ll just win one (quarter-final) and then they’re two wins away from being world champions,” Gregan adds.
“I like my golf and I watched Cam Smith win his Major (2022 Open), he knew he had to birdie five holes in a row and get it done.
“It was lucky enough to be there watching it and was just amazing, it was what live sport is all about. Rory [McIlroy] was playing beautiful golf, he was doing nothing wrong but in live sport, someone – or a team – will do something they’ve never done before because of the occasion.
“Someone will take it on but to do so, Cam had to come up with a PB. Rory wasn’t going to give it to him. That’s the live theatre of sport and someone like Rory is going to bring out your best, and someone in this series or next year is going to bring out something you haven’t done before, and it’s about executing in that moment and having those good memories for the next time.
“The opportunity is there, you either do it or you don’t, and once you’ve done it the mindset is, ‘Oh, we can do this’.
“You either win and you go forward or you go home and so it starts getting serious then. Break through that wall and they’ll be very hard to beat because they’ve got the pedigree of playing very good rugby.”
Overall, Gregan has been impressed by what he’s seen from Ireland over the course of 2022.
“I think Andy Farrell has done a great job, there’s no doubting that,” he continues.
Ireland are always good, particularly over the last decade, and they’ve been very very good against the All Blacks. They play a game which can beat anyone in the world, but they certainly feel very comfortable and confident when they play against the better teams in the world.
“They came to Australia in 2018 and beat the Wallabies in a three-match series, so they’ve done it in Australia and they’ve done it in New Zealand. I guess the challenge for them now is taking that into what is the best competition, the Rugby World Cup.
“But they’ve got a nice bank of positive experiences and I can see them evolving even more so. They’ve really impressed. Farrell is very good at reducing time and space for the teams they play against, particularly playmakers, and when they go, they go together; it’s like a green army when they don’t have the ball.
“So I think they’re going to improve. They’ve got a big carrot in front of them as well, which is obviously this Autumn Series and building into the Six Nations. They pushed France (in Paris) earlier this year and you get an understanding that they’re hungry and their best rugby is potentially ahead of them.
“I really like what I see with Ireland.”
And what of his native Australia, who continue to struggle for consistency less than a year out from the World Cup?
“On any given day they can beat anyone, that’s the frustrating piece for Dave Rennie and the team. It’s just backing up those good performances, I think that’s the challenge.
“What Dave Rennie and the selectors have done is introduced a lot more players into this Wallabies squad over a period of time, which is good. They’re getting exposure to playing Test match rugby, which is another level because you’re playing with the best players and against the best players. So that just naturally makes it a tougher competition, and also exposes anything you might need to tweak under pressure.
“I’m excited about what’s ahead of them, but it’s that consistency piece which really separates the good teams from the great.”
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United are a joke!
It’s brilliant!
Did u even read the article?
In what way? This should be interesting.
Lol United are so bad now, hype themselves up all summer and will be fighting Spurs and Everton for 5th place come May.
United fans myself included were patient last year. That patience is going to wear thin very quickly if something decisive doesn’t happen in the next 2 weeks. Not to win the league but to make us competitive for a top 4 spot. Somewhere between Woodward and the glazers is the truth in all this and the focus is going to mount day by day now on both.
What’s going to happen when your patience runs out if you don’t mind me asking??
He’ll start supporting Liverpool
Ask your advice obviously
Hahaha. Well played!
Fair play sir. I doff my cap to you
Yeah a much better team why wouldn’t he?
Have a look at how the Glazers run their sports teams in the US, such as the Tampa Bay Buc’s. They are very happy to have an average team turning over a profit with the option to sell that club in a very lucrative markets (NFL & Premiership). Made their money nickel and diming poor people in trailer home parks ! Bit like they are doing at OT.
You can’t really compare a small/medium market team like the Buccaneers to United though can you? For Tamba Bay to be competitive is half the battle! Now if the Glaziers owned the Patriots, Steelers, etc and acted the same way it would be the same thing.
Teams go in cycles, and right now United are going through a rough one. It’s just about remaining competitive while the team rebuilds. As an Arsenal fan that can be very frustrating though!
My thoughts were not related to market share or size but their view and management style. I think they are lacking that connection to their club. Man U might as well be Dunnes Stores for all they really care. Compare the Red Sox owners of Liverpool, they are IMHO more intune with sports side of the business which can be clearly seen in their desire to build a connection between Fenway and Anfield.
Can you really say it’s the Glazers not investing? As Gary Neville pointed out in the last 5 transfer windows only PSG in Europe have a higher net spend on players than Man United. Now they’re looking at the team thinking ‘we spent all that money but don’t appear to have very much to show for it,’ how can you expect them to pump even more money in? Something is wrong with the way United are investing in the squad. RVP was nothing more than a plaster which temporarily covered over a poor squad, successfully albeit. Fellaini was the definition of a panic buy, paying £28m for a player you didn’t really want when you could have got him £6m cheaper the previous week. Mata was an attempt at making a statement, a superstar became available so United grabbed him to show everyone they can still sign big players even though Kagawa was already surplus to requirements and Mata was there for the same job. Shaw we were told is one for the long term and now we’re told an 18 year old professional athlete is struggling to keep in shape. Zaha has barely been seen in a United shirt since he was bought a year and half ago for £15m. The managers and Woodward have been grossly mis-using the money the Glazers having been giving them, the money is there it’s just not being spent wisely.
They’re spending huge money at Man Utd though, just on poor targets. In the past 12 months I think they’ve spent something close to £150m so you can hardly accuse them of being stingy.
if I were united I’d let Ed Woodward handle the finances he’s done a good job getn sponsers on board and strengthening the clubs position in a marketing sense and is hire ferguson to b d chief negotiator in d market
Ferguson didn’t do that job even when he was manager…Gill did. But I agree with the concept, Woodward is a good CEO but isn’t a cute enough wh0re at transfers.
exactly Woodward has done such an amazing job with the money he has brought to the club in the past 3-4 years but the transfer negotiations should be handled by someone else but definitely not Sir Alex
United!
Only for the letter d..edward woodward would be ewar woowar….drop the w and he is the donkey in winnie the pooh…
Apart from chelsea no other team in the epl has made any decent signings … says a lot about the leauge nowadays
Lukaku to everton?
Sanchez to arsenal?
I think I’ll give them a ring and tell them I’m available.
I was a centre forward 30 years ago. Also a utility centre half.
Got a few goals too.
What’s their number?
Trolling aside what if Woodward is actually doing everything any other person would but the target isn’t interested bigger clubs and champions league are a big factor as well a lot of stick he’s getting when Fergie left the club with a very average squad
City were able to build a title winning squad from humble beginnings and without the promise of Champions League football in the early days. Ditto Liverpool as title contenders.
Why is Cesc Fabregas wearing a blue jersey when he would surely be the best possible successor to Paul Scholes? The answer is hard for Utd fans to accept but the reality is that he turned down the move. This kind of rejection from big name players appears to be coming as a surprise to the Utd management and they need to understand that football is fickle and things can change very quickly.
I wonder if Utd followers now have a greater understanding of what Liverpool went through after the golden era of 70s and 80s ended. When the ‘boot room’ era finished with Daglish, no one foresaw the hardship of the next 25 years. While it’s only the second year United are without Ferguson I wonder are a few starting to sweat over the fact that fighting for a Champions League place is the pinnacle of their goals for a few years. Whilst Rodgers has taken Liverpool to second it’s still a case of wait and see if he brings that or better on a year after year basis. Not much patience in the game these days. The premier league needs both Utd and Liverpool up there fighting year after year with the ‘new money’
#glazersout
This article shows just how much woodward is out of his depht. If only david gill could be reinstated. Also disappointing as a united fan to see the team we could be lining out with.
Good God you would swear nobody ever turned United down before last year , Fergie has for ever talked about targets that were missed out on during his years and that was at a time when if you wanted to play in the PL there were only two teams you went to UTD and Arsenal now you’ve got Chelsea City With Liverpool and Spurs also coming back into the lime light , so there’s a lot more on offer now to players
There’s some amount of panic buttons being pressed lately. One bad season and its curtains for united! ! Preseason we were back to business as usual and now they lost first game of the EPL and everybody thinks were up shitcreek. Wake up boys and girls its early yet. Some fans are just ridiculous, thinking we can win something every season. Its IMPOSSIBLE! CMON UNITED! !