Ireland heartbreak as World Cup journey grinds to halt

Ireland undoubtedly dodged a bullet by avoiding a brilliant All Blacks on Saturday night, but their stay of execution only lasted another day. The 43-20 beating which Argentina dished up at the Millennium Stadium brooked no argument. The gulf between the two hemispheres has never been so yawning.

Admittedly Scotland subsequently pushed Australia to the very brink before a desperately unlucky penalty enabled Bernard Foley to earn Australia an 80th-minute 35-34 win and thus set up a semi-final against Argentina a day after New Zealand play South Africa.

And so, having halved the Rugby Championship to prepare for the World Cup, the southern hemisphere big four have merely deferred it to the final two weeks of this tournament, not one of them losing to a European side en route.

For sure, Ireland were handicapped by the loss of one-third of their team, including their captain and leader, their main ball-carrier, their chief strategist and their defensive lynchpin. They might have ensured a steadier ship rather than a 17-point deficit and the need to pull off the biggest comeback in World Cup history.

Heroically, Ireland did come within a kick of levelling the match at 23-all in the third quarter, and perhaps then the toll of last week’s efforts against France told as well. But ultimately the supposed weakest team down south (these things are relative) outclassed the best of the north (which now, is also relative).

"Gallant isn't a semi-final and it's what the lads feel now," admitted Joe Schmidt. "In the 58th minute when we got as close as we did, I just felt if we could have got in front I think it might have given us the confidence to kick on. There were a few guys out on their feet.

“It had been really tough going and it’s tough to take because it is in the back of your mind for so long. I felt we had worked our way through the tournament well, doing exactly what you’re hoping to do, and it all hinges on a couple of 40-minute periods that you live and die by. And unfortunately, the sword has come out for us.”

Imperious

Los Pumas underlined their status as the most improved side in the world over the last four years. They won the collisions, with forwards and backs interlinking seamlessly, recycled quality ball and, with the imperious Nicolás Sánchez pulling the strings to land nine out of 10 kicks, exposed Ireland’s narrow defence by pilfering them out wide four times. The Pumas would have been a joy to watch against anybody else.

Debates about the contrasting defensive and attacking games, Schmidt re-iterated, emanated from Argentina winning the collisions. “I felt we actually got a bit of pressure on them and to come back from just about 20 points off the pace to get within three points is also a pretty good reflection of us almost getting what we were looking for.”

Defensively, Ireland “were up and we were back and were sideways at times”, admitted Schmidt, who added: “we probably didn’t have the leadership to say, look, let’s do this if we are in this situation and let’s do that if we get the opportunity in a different situation.

“Probably if you have a look at the tournament completely I think we have played a fair bit of rugby and we have been reasonably consistent. Where we lost it today was in that collision area.”

Maybe Jared Payne's contribution will be recognised more now. Lamenting the injury toll and the loss of Payne, Schmidt said: "Defensively, out wide, I don't think the players have got it wrong in saying he's been crucial to that. I know there are some people who probably don't do a lot of analysis who have criticised him . . . At the same time, I think Keith Earls has had a super tournament; there's so many guys who have done really well.

Opportunity

“It’s massively disappointing for me to see their disappointment and to see that some of these guys won’t get another opportunity at a World Cup.”

Schmidt laughed when asked if he fancied a crack at another World Cup with Ireland in Japan in four years’ time. “Way too early for that!

“I can tell you now, I’m buggered, but there’s no way I want to go home. I want to keep working for two more weeks and I’m as gutted as any of those players that I’m not going to be working at what I love doing.

“I’ll be working all right. I’ll be working at review and looking back through things and that’s never enjoyable when you’ve lost your last game and you’re out of the World Cup when you could have set a new benchmark.

"We're going to have to glue ourselves back together and look at the Six Nations and after that we'll be going to South Africa for three Test matches. We're going to have to be as well prepared for that as we possibly can be."

Citing the divide between northern and southern hemisphere rugby, Schmidt added: “I’ve been there plenty of times with Super Rugby and it’s a very tough place to go. So we know that what’s in front of is going to be very tough.

“So I’ll probably try and grab a breath for a couple of weeks. I’ve got some things that I need to get sorted with what we’re doing at home and we’ll go from there.”