‘Evolution beckons for Ireland as legends bow out’

It was difficult not to feel like the end of an era as Ireland welcomed the thousands of traveling supporters who had already traveled to Rome following a close-fought victory over Italy.

After a 22-17 defeat at the hands of the Azzurri, the Irish players waved to fans and loved ones in the Stadio Olimpico crowd.

The 2023 World Cup in France, where Ireland temporarily made the Stade de France their home away from home with memorable victories over South Africa and Scotland, made the scenes akin to those in the 1980s.

In the end, both stories ended in heartache. Any flimsy Irish hopes of remaining at the Six Nations summit were utterly crushed by England’s crushing defeat of Wales in the Italian capital on Saturday as their World Cup adventure was put to the end by New Zealand.

It put an end to a Six Nations that had once hoped much for Ireland.

After winning the Triple Crown against Wales in round three, France ruined the script in Dublin, causing the latter to sabotage hopes for a Grand Slam and a third straight title.

Ireland’s greatest chance was viewed as the World Cup. It appeared as though the squad were peaking at the right moment, a year removed from a landmark series win in New Zealand and six months after winning the Grand Slam on home soil.

It turned out to be a false dawn. The Irish rugby legend Johnny Sexton was denied a fairytale ending for his Test career. Three of his long-time team-mates, Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy, and Conor Murray, bow out in protest of what might have happened 18 months later.

And the need for Ireland to evolve is brought into focus as the curtain comes to a close on three more glittering careers in green.

Given the exhausting experience, Paul O’Connell acknowledged that the squad will face “days when we struggle.”

Caelan Doris recapped his first Six Nations as captain on Saturday while coming off a more encouraging note and stressing the need for improvement along the way.

O’Mahony won’t be a part of that work for the first time in 14 years.

The Munster legend is looking forward to watching games with his family from the stands after dedicating his life to the Irish cause with a career that resulted in 114 caps and five Six Nations titles, including one as captain.

And as he bows out, O’Mahony insists the Irish rugby team is still in “incredible shape” despite a third-place finish, given where they have come from. He is equally qualified as anyone to make a comment on the state of Irish rugby.

O’Mahony, of course, was one of the last references to the more recent eras, referencing the infamous Rome defeat in 2013 against Italy.

Ireland finished fifth that year, but after Declan Kidney’s departure, the country resurrected impressively under Joe Schmidt, winning back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015 before the Grand Slam three years later.

O’Mahony, who replaced Josh van der Flier after 51 minutes against Italy, received a rapturous ovation, saying, “Now everyone in Ireland is hoping we win.”

“We want to win the Six Nations when we first hold the meeting.” That is attributable to the players’ diligent work. We’ve changed from anticipating to anticipating. We’ve changed the mindset of players and supporters to expect nothing but victories from Ireland over the past ten years.

From the perspective of Irish people, that group is one of the most talented you’ll ever see. It’s getting better and better as I watch the younger players I’ve had the opportunity to play alongside for the past eight weeks.

In the days to come, Ireland will experience excruciating pain as they take on their Six Nations crown, but they will have plenty to look forward to.

However, interim boss Simon Easterby will oversee a summer tour before a Chicago rematch against the All Blacks and mouthwatering Dublin Tests against Australia and South Africa in November.

Although no specifics have been confirmed, discussions have been made about matches between Portugal, Romania, and Georgia.

However, regardless of who the opponents are, Easterby will have a significant role in shaping the squad and introducing new talent to the international game while his first-team players are visiting Australia with the British and Irish Lions.

Jamie Osborne, Tom Clarkson, Sam Prendergast, Cormac Izuchukwu, Gus McCarthy, and Jack Boyle have been slashed by Ireland since the Six Nations triumph last year.

However, 10 of Ireland’s 23 against Italy are at least 30 years old, which underlines the need for squad progression.

Ireland has previously found success during summer tours on Lions years. For instance, Jacob Stockdale, Andrew Porter, and James Ryan emerged during the 2017 tour of Japan.

It remains to be seen whether Ireland will find a player of this caliber before Andy Farrell’s Lions’ return. However, there does appear to be an acknowledgement of the need to develop the squad.