Four years ago, Gerry Thornley is unkind enough to remind us, “the All Blacks ruthlessly filleted Joe Schmidt’s misfiring team in the quarter-finals of the World Cup”. On Saturday, he – Joe, not Gerry – would very much welcome the same outcome now that he’s part of New Zealand’s coaching team. It’s “a fascinating subplot” to a contest that has no shortage of them.
Not that Johnny Sexton is too worried about it. “Joe knows us well, we know him well, but Joe doesn’t get to make any tackles or run any lines at the weekend.” He saluted his former boss, though, and hopes to have a beer with him after the game.
Sexton will lead a team on Saturday that shows just one change from the XV that beat New Zealand in Wellington last year, that series triumph helping make the tag of “world number one” sit comfortably on the team’s shoulders. In the past, said Andy Farrell, “an inferiority complex” would have had the players thinking “this shouldn’t be happening to Ireland”. Not now.
“Irish rugby has come such a long way, even in the last four years,” as John O’Sullivan heard Andrew Porter say when he spoke with the media on Wednesday, and four years ago Ireland didn’t have a “Green Zombie army” driving them on, Johnny Watterson finding himself among their ranks in Saint-Denis last weekend.
Your complete guide to all the festive sporting action including TV details
Irish Times Sportswoman of the Year Awards: ‘The greatest collection of women in Irish sport in one place ever assembled’
Two-time Olympic champion Kellie Harrington named Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year 2024
Pub staff struggled to keep up with giddy Shamrock Rovers fans who enjoyed every moment of Chelsea trip
In soccer, Gavin Cummiskey gazed in to his crystal ball and concluded that by the time Euro 2028 comes around, Dublin among its host cities, this Republic of Ireland squad “will be entering its prime”. Qualifying for Euro 2024 is, though, proving to be tricky – and unless Greece are beaten at the Aviva on Friday evening, it’ll prove to be impossible. Gordon Manning caught up with one of the few Irish players to have experienced Greek football, Cork man Dominic Foley having a brief spell with Ethnikos Piraeus back in 1999.
In Gaelic games, Ciarán Murphy writes about John Kiely and Dessie Farrell having their reigns as the Limerick hurling and Dublin football managers extended in the past week, while Dave Hannigan reflects on the remarkable life of Cork man Brian O’Donovan who, at 66, died last week.
Music was the chief passion for O’Donovan, but he made no small contribution to soccer in the States after becoming the general manager of the New England Revolution.
TV watch: With five wins out of five so far, Scotland have one foot in Euro 2024 – if they can take a point from their meeting with Spain in Seville this evening, they will seal their qualification (Virgin Media Three and Premier Sports 1, kick-off 7.45). There’s another tasty qualifying game on Premier Sports 2, Croatia and Turkey, who are joint top of Group D, squaring up in Osijek (kick-off 7.45).
