Is there a dawn to follow the darkest momentAs Ireland take refuge from the usual World Cup misadventure, their demoralised squad could do worse than digest the words of a man who suffered more than they will ever know. Yet for all his powers of endurance and leadership, history will record him as having fallen into the sam trap as every other Irish captain at every other World Cup. 1 at the World Cup in Japan.”When it matters most, as the All Blacks demonstrated with their ruthless devotion to the art of winning, nobody fails as consistently as Ireland. How ironic that the place the Americans almost wiped off the face of the earth should not appear on the World Cup map of its own country. “To win a World Cup you have to have a great defence,’’ he said.

Source: Irish Examiner October 21, 2019 00:00 UTC