Johnny Sexton may have only been half-joking when he suggested the knives would be out for himself and half-back partner Conor Murray once Ireland had departed this World Cup. Instead, his words had the air of a self-fulfilling prophecy as New Zealand cruised into the semi-finals and Ireland delivered perhaps the poorest performance of Joe Schmidt’s reign as head coach. Never mind the media, it is incoming head coach Andy Farrell who must decide the future for all of Ireland’s 30-somethings at the start of the next World Cup cycle. Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell. For Schmidt has overseen a revolution in the Irish game that has brought unprecedented success to it.

Source: Irish Examiner October 21, 2019 04:18 UTC