As Ireland registered an emphatic and hugely important win over Pool B rivals South Africa on Saturday, two members of golfing royalty and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, and 2019 Open Championship victor, Shane Lowry, were pitchside at the Stade de France enjoying all the action.
The duo were guests on ex-Scotland rugby international Jim Hamilton’s RugbyPass TV program, ‘The Big Jim Show: LIVE’ and offered their thoughts on Andy Farrell’s side’s chances for the rest of the tournament.
McIlroy, a professed fan of rugby union, suggested Ireland have grown since their disappointment in the 2015 Rugby World Cup and now have the opportunity and ability to progress beyond another Quarter-finals finish:
“I think it’s a mental barrier more than a physical one and they have all the tools at their disposal, but the Quarter-final of the World Cup has been their achilles heel. We all expect them to get there and this game [against South Africa] will be a big decider in how they get there.
“They had a tough time in Tokyo four years ago when they played New Zealand in that Quarter, but they’ve come a long way since then and they’ve been able to overcome both France and New Zealand since then [in other tests]. I think they’ve finally been able to get over that mental barrier, so I don’t think there’s anything standing in their way to do something they’ve never done before.”
He also reflected on the fantastic positivity the Irish nation has towards its sporting heroes and the impact this can have on performances:
“No matter where we play in the world, the support we get from the Irish fans, wherever it is, it’s incredible. The fans travel to see their sports stars, and Paris is no different. But to actually be here and see the support that this team has, it’s amazing. Hopefully that support can carry them all the way in this tournament.”
“The last thing that’s happened in Ireland that would be as big as them winning a World Cup was this man [points to Lowry] winning the Open Championship in Portrush in 2019. If they get there, it’ll be a monumental achievement and they have to try to make the most of it.”
Lowry, another big rugby union fan, who revealed he had backed Ireland to win the Rugby World Cup before the tournament started, doubled-down on his belief and also championed the Irish support:
“Ireland are the best team in the world on paper and we all want them to win and go the whole way. Tonight [the eventual win against South Africa] is a huge step towards that and I think this team has a chance to do something that will be remembered forever. Ireland might never have a chance like this again and I think this team has that chance.
“It’s very exciting for the country too. I was back there for a few days last week, but just being here today in France to see how many Irish people are here, like Rory says, we come out here in our numbers because we’re a great country to jump on a bandwagon [laughs]. It’s going to be an amazing few weeks and hopefully it can be a successful one.”
Later in his show, Hamilton also spoke with former Leinster and Ireland back row, Dan Leavy, who offered similar sentiments about the mood and the feeling for the ‘Boys in Green’:
“It’s great to see the guys [fans] here and for such a small country, the support and the energy they bring to these games is second to none.
“Japan was an absolute nightmare and they’ll have learned a lot from that. There’s the likes of Garry Ringrose, James Ryan, Tadhg Furlong, Andrew Porter, these guys felt a lot of pain from losing like that and the embarrassment that goes with it. You’ve also got Johnny [Sexton] coming to the end of his career driving everything and so long as he keeps fit, they’ve got a serious shot.”
“The team are humming. They’ve been seriously comprehensive with all their wins so far, they put away a good, strong Tonga team and for Ireland now they’ve got an amazing challenge in front of them.”
Additional and exclusive interviews, commentary and insights from this particular game and the rest of the Rugby World Cup others can be found here via RugbyPass TV’s: https://rugbypass.tv/
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