Probably. That surely doesnât count though. It doesnât for South Africa anyway.
Donât humour him
Sure he canât be that good if Sale are leaving him off to Bristol
Heâs excellent. Bristol are loaded and sale have picked up George Ford as a replacement
McGinty must kick himself every morning he didnât hold tough. Heâs miles better than all the other options behind sexton
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He is actually outstanding.
Played for USA at the 2015 World Cup. Gone a long time.
Was a great game
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Scots to beat England next weekend? Beat them and France last year, Australia too. 4pt start seems generous too
If a team gets ahead against England, or stats with them, they tend to fall apart. They are brainless. The Millwall of rubby.
Moved from 6 points
5 days to sixmas. I canât bloody wait. The opening game of the six nations is only about winning and while wales have a serious injury crisis I still predict itâll be a tight game for long periods.
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Two great games on the Saturday. Always great optimism on the opening day. Murrayfield will be hopping too.
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Reaching World Cup semi-final is not the be all and end all
Gerry Thornley
Wales arrive in Dublin later this week for the Six Nations opener in the Aviva Stadium as the reigning champions once more. Last yearâs victory was their sixth title since the tournament was expanded to include Italy in 2000, including four Grand Slams, compared to Irelandâs four championships and two Slams in the last 22 years and, of course, in 2019 Wales also reached their third World Cup semi-final.
This, as even the dogs in OâConnell Street are aware, is three more semi-finals than Ireland have ever managed. Seven quarter-finals, a quarter-final playoff and one pool exit, is Irelandâs lot at nine World Cups.
Hence, it was understandable to hear Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton describe the Autumn Series last November as the start of a two-year journey culminating in the 2023 World Cup. But it also grates that Irish rugby might once again be judged purely through the prism of not winning World Cup quarter-finals every four years.
Is reaching a World Cup semi-final the be all and end all? Is it even quite what itâs cracked up to be?
Wales finished third in the inaugural 1987 World Cup, due to an opening 13-6 win over an Irish side whose players had been wrapped in cotton wool for months and a quarter-final win over a poor England team. They were beaten 49-6 in the semi-finals by New Zealand.
In 2011 Wales ambushed Ireland 22-10 in the quarter-finals in windy Wellington before unluckily losing 9-8 to France in the semi-finals after Sam Warburtonâs red card. Given the way New Zealand choked in the final, who knows what that fine Welsh side might have done.
Luck of the draw
Ironically, in the quarter-finals in 2019, France were far from flattered by a 19-10 lead and were mauling toward the Welsh line in the 49th minute when SĂŠbastien Vahaamahina was red-carded for elbowing Aaron Wainwright in the jaw. Wales won by dint of a questionable late Ross Moriarty try and afterwards even Warren Gatland admitted: âThe better team lost.â
The point being that World Cups can partly be about the luck of the draw. For sure, there was no bad luck in Ireland losing to Japan nor when being beaten 46-14 by New Zealand in the quarter-finals in 2019, an anti-climactic performance after the highs of 2018.
Undoubtedly, that was the most important of the last five meetings between New Zealand and Ireland. No argument there. Yet last November marked the third Irish win in those last five clashes, which is not to be sniffed at, all the more so given it took 29 attempts and 111 years to break through that particular glass ceiling. By contrast, Walesâ 54-16 thrashing last November was their 32nd successive defeat by the All Blacks, dating back to 1953.
Scotland have reached one World Cup semi-final in 1991 by wins, all at Murrayfield, over Japan, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Western Samoa in the quarter-finals, when Ireland lost by a point late on to eventual champions Australia. But Scotland have never beaten the All Blacks and have earned three third place finishes in the Six Nations (Ireland have been in the top two 11 times).
Closer examination of the Six Nations since 2000 shows that Ireland have a significantly better win-draw-loss ratio of 72-3-35 compared to Walesâ 62-3-45. Indeed, only England have won more matches (75) in this timespan.
Scotland (four times), Wales (once) and even France (once) have suffered the indignity of relieving Italy of the wooden spoon. Only twice in 22 years have Ireland finished outside the top half (Wales have finished in the bottom half a dozen times). While third place finishes donât cut it with many, such consistency has to count for something.
Bleak decade
Irish rugby has been spoiled. Perhaps understandably the grim 90s have been consigned to an almost sepia-tinged history. In the last 10 Five Nations Championships, Ireland lost 30 and won just eight games out of 40 â two against England and six against Wales. It was a bleak decade for the Welsh too. Amazingly, Ireland won as many Five Nations games in Cardiff in the 90s as they did in Dublin!
Furthermore, the performances of the Welsh regions most likely wonât matter again this time around. Match-ups in the international stage are not tests of contrasting depth charts.
But all four Irish sides are in the last 16 of the Champions Cup, compared to none from Wales and Scotland. Irish sides have won seven European Cups, and provided 11 finalists; Wales havenât had one finalist and the Scots have had just one semi-finalist.
The four Irish provinces have won 13 of what are now URC titles, as against six by the Welsh, with Connachtâs 2015-16 success equalling the Scotsâ entire tally of titles.
If the Irish players were asked to swap their three Six Nations titles, including two Grand Slams, the three wins over New Zealand, and the victories over South Africa, Australia and Argentina in recent years plus all those Euro and URC titles for one World Cup semi-final, none of them would touch the exchange with a barge pole. Itâs doubtful any fair-minded Irish supporter would either.
Toughest draw
Come the 2023 World Cup, Wales are in a pool with Australia and Fiji, and in the quarter-finals would most likely play England, Japan or Argentina.
Meanwhile, Ireland have been handed the toughest conceivable draw; navigate a way through a pool of sharks containing champions South Africa, Scotland and a Tongan side replenished with former Test players from other countries, to be rewarded with a potential quarter-final against either France or New Zealand. Ireland could be the third best side in the tournament and still exit at the quarter-finals again.
That shouldnât demean every victory or achievement between World Cups. Regardless of next Saturdayâs result, Irish rugby is still in a healthier place than Welsh rugby.
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Thatâs an incredible statement. I donât think it should be an either/or proposition Gerry. Ireland couldâve achieved all those things and not shit their pants at multiple RWCs.
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Argentina, Wales, Argentina and NZ (and Japan)
Luck of the draw 
What does he want, Tonga in a QF or something?
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Therein lies the Irish rubby mindset and why they continue to fail on the biggest stage
I donât see the big difference by beating wales in a Quarter final and losing to New Zealand in a semi final to just losing to New Zealand in a quarter final.
I wouldnât consider one a bigger achievement than the other anyway.
Well it would mean you were better than Wales at least mate
In the grand scheme of things itâs still meaningless.
A world cup semi is bigger than a Grandslam for Ireland. Thereâs two Grandslam winning sides that did choice all in World Cup Quarter Finals. Wales '11 and Argies '15 are opportunities that might not come again for another decade.