All the moaning, whining and pearl-clutching after Ireland’s loss to New Zealand in Chicago has been nothing short of embarrassing. It is another sad episode in the arrogance and entitlement that has recently infected Irish rugby.
Over the past few seasons, all the teams at the top of the world rankings have been constantly beating each other. In the last 12 months, the Australians and South Africans are 1-1. The Pumas and New Zealand are 1-1. The Boks and the Kiwis are 1-1. Australia and England are 1-1.
Losing to New Zealand is disappointing, but it is not an unexpected disgrace.
Before Saturday’s match in Chicago, anyone with experience in the elite end of the game should have been able to dispassionately consider the facts and conclude that it was a big ask for Ireland to win.
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The primary difficulty for Ireland this November is they have not played together since March.
However, the New Zealanders, who are ranked number two in the world, have been together since June, playing eight test matches against the likes of France, Australia, Argentina and South Africa.
The Kiwis registered at least one victory against every team, which is hardly the record of a struggling side. Ireland will face the Wallabies and Springboks, who both have similar preparations.
When Ireland won the series in New Zealand in 2022, the facts were the exact opposite. Ireland had just concluded the Six Nations while New Zealand had not played a game in seven months. Because of that historic series win, many now mindlessly expect that Ireland should dominate the might of New Zealand in every contest.
There is no denying that last weekend was a below-par Irish performance. This is to be expected as most of the Irish team are still recovering from an 11-month 2024-25 season, which culminated in a winning Lions series. All this has combined to make November a very difficult period for Ireland.
Last summer, the French coach, Fabien Galthié, faced the possibility of suffering the same problem that Ireland are now experiencing. Galthié knows it is impossible to minimise your preseason preparation and then play to your maximum potential.
For this reason, during the French tour of New Zealand last July, Galthié left his top 30 players at home. The Kiwis were justifiably outraged that the leading French players were putting in a solid preseason regimen rather than entertaining the New Zealand crowds.
Galthié desperately wanted to avoid the exact situation that Ireland now faces: which is that a dysfunctional preseason produces a dysfunctional start to the season.
According to another large group of know-nothings, Ireland’s selections are one giant Dublin 4 conspiracy to favour Leinster players.
The tinfoil hats believe this is being co-ordinated by the performance director for the IRFU, David Humphreys (who played 163 games for Ulster), Andy Farrell (who played rugby and rugby league for England) and Paul O’Connell (who may have played the odd game for Munster). They are secretly combining to keep the players from Connacht, Munster and Ulster oppressed and out of the Irish team.
Have you ever heard such unmitigated nonsense?
Here, let me give you three reasons why there are not more players in the Irish national team from Ulster, Munster and Connacht:
They are not playing good enough.
They are not playing good enough.
They are not playing good enough.
For all you entitled moaners, go and take a heaped teaspoon of cement and harden up
Munster’s win against Leinster at Croke Park was good for Irish rugby. Munster are a team on the rise. However, while no player owns their national jersey and each selection is only for a single match, players on the outside must force their way into the team, not by gently knocking at the door but by kicking the thing off its hinges.
There is only one formula that provincial players who aspire to play for Ireland must follow. They have to constantly play at a standard that is higher than the man who currently wears the jersey. Not for a week, but for months on end. Jack Crowley earned his recall by doing exactly that. Across multiple games, his performances have demanded selection.
There is more bad news for the Irish rugby public: the rest of November is not going to get any easier.
[ Ireland v Japan: Kick-off time, TV details, squad news ]
A strong Irish selection should account for Japan, but they will struggle against the Wallabies and are facing the possibility of an absolute belting from the Springboks, who are playing simply spectacular rugby.
Here, let me offer some hope to those anxious Irish supporters. Mary Poppins, whom I am sure was never involved in a jackal or a cleanout, preached that, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”
Right now, Ireland are, as we say, taking their medicine. A concoction created by so many Irish players touring with the Lions until early August, which has forced them to be about six weeks behind in their preparation when compared to other international players. If Ireland gets through November with a 2-2 record, they will have done OK. However, I would not be surprised if it ends up 1-3.
The sugar to sweeten November’s medicine is that the Irish sports scientists have been preparing to return the Irish players to their best for the early part of 2026. When the Six Nations and the club playoffs come around, the Irish players will be physically and mentally back on par with the other leading nations.
For all you entitled moaners, you don’t get any sugar. Go and take a heaped teaspoon of cement and harden up. You were full of bragging when the Irish dominated the Lions selections. The game is the greatest of teachers and one of its most bitter lessons is that whether you win or lose there is always a price to pay.
The price of the Irish dominance in the Lions team meant November was always going to be difficult.
New Zealand were better prepared than Ireland for that test match. The same may be true for the Wallabies and looks to be almost certain for the Boks.
Suck up those facts. Build a bridge. And get over it.
