Donal Lenihan has a way of saying ‘Awful’ in his commentary that summarises in a single word how the sporting nation was feeling on Saturday after Ireland’s demolition at the hands and fast feet of New Zealand.

Strangely this was the first time that Ireland had faced the All Blacks in a do or die knock out game. Our previous meetings with the side that have dominated the sport were one-off games while the only time we played then in the Rugby World Cup was in the group stage of the 1995 tournament.

On that occasion, the score was 43-19 with Jonah Lomu scoring two tries. This time around it was 46-14 but with Ireland’s tries coming well after the game had been decided as a contest.

The fervour and excitement around Ireland’s chances this time last year had been tempered by a falling off of performance during this last year of Joe Schmidt’s reign as manager.

There was a clutching at straws that Saturday would be OK, that there was a masterstroke waiting to be played but in the end that was a triumph of hope over reality.

New Zealand are an exceptional team. The semi-final clash with an in-form England is mouth-watering for Rugby fans and the World cup will continue through the next two weeks and hold our sporting attention but in a more disengaged way than has been the case over the last four weeks.

Perhaps the highlight of the coverage was Rory Best’s emotional interview after the game. A great servant to the sport down the years he was visibly moved by the moment of farewell. At least marking it in front of a packed stadium was a better way to say farewell than many former greats have been able to enjoy.

Another moment from the TV coverage was the lingering camera shot of a tortured Joe Schmidt in the coaches box within the crowd. His eyes were hollow with the realisation that his Ireland team had failed at this highest level of the sport.

Around him though, Irish fans sang and celebrated just being there. This caused upset to some of the sports most vitriolic critics but it was at a point where the game had gone and sure there may have been some drink taken through the day.

Speaking of drink, hats off to Guinness who did capture the moment with an impressive reaction tweet as the final whistle blew.

Team sponsor Vodafone were in a supportive mood while Heineken also tried to put it in perspective.

Heineken’s words that a loss to the greatest isn’t the greatest loss are true and the sport carries on with the focus now switching quickly enough back to the provinces.

There will be a hangover but the Guinness Six Nations is only a little over three months away and sport always offers another moment to savour.

It’s the lost opportunity of preparing for a World Cup Semi-Final that possibly hurts the most. That would have been something special but not to be.

The end of previous World cup campaigns have been similarly tough and led to the exit of players who have lit up the game.

That will happen again this time around but the sport will move on.  There are always fifteen places to be filled on the team sheet and much of the narrative has already moved on to who will be the leaders the next time the rugby World Cup circus rolls around in Paris in four years time.



Image Credit Inpho.ie Bryan Keane