Rugby World Cup: Ireland lose to New Zealand

This weekend, Ireland has a bitter taste. The Shamrock XV’s defeat by New Zealand has ruled the country out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup for good… and put an end to years of hope in the Irish camp. It has to be said that the All Blacks’ victory over Ireland thwarted all predictions. After all, Ireland, ranked number 1 in the world, appeared to be the tournament favourites. However, it would appear that the Irish are condemned to an eternal curse: never making it past the quarter-final stage… for the eighth time in the history of the competition! Here’s a look back at a high-flying match that literally shook the Stade de France!

A match of anthology, in which no-one deserved to lose out

Ireland and New Zealand at their best

This weekend, the world was expecting a titanic match! On the agenda are two fully-fed teams, determined to go all out and make it through to the last 16.

Ireland, the favourites at the time, were sure to win, showing great skill and unfailing determination. A well-oiled strategy. Impeccable defense. And a taste for victory.

But that was without counting on the New Zealanders, who created a surprise by winning by a score of 28 to 24! A tight, colorful match that had fans of both teams on their feet right to the end!

For Ireland, however, the defeat was cruel. It would seem that the history of the XV du Trèfle is marked by a terrible inability to progress beyond the quarter-finals of a Rugby World Cup.

The Greens suffered their eighth defeat in ten editions of the World Cup quarter-finals against the Blacks, who are once again cold-blooded killers, historically formidable when it comes to dashing the hopes of an entire nation.

And the defeat is all the more bitter given that, for the last four years, Ireland had been a better team than New Zealand, as evidenced by their results and first place in the world rankings.

However, the Irish leave the World Cup with their heads held high. The Shamrock XV put in a remarkable performance against the phenomenal All Blacks.

Even the Irish press praised the Shamrock team’s performance, without ever denouncing it.

You never know: with a bit of luck, the next Rugby World Cup will be the right one for Ireland!