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Touching Distance: Irish Rugby's Battle with Great Expectations
Ireland went to the 2023 Rugby World Cup as the number one ranked team in the world. They had a unique Test series win in New Zealand on their list of achievements; they were the reigning Grand Slam holders; and still they came home early. Getting to the last four has become an obsession. But is this the only measure of success?
This ambition is a country mile removed from the awfulness of Irish rugby as the game went from amateur to professional during the nineties. We were all over the shop, and the men behind the counter were lost and disgruntled. But by the arrival of the Six Nations in 2000, pain gave way to change. There were real signs of growth. From Eddie O’Sullivan, who kicked it off and then was deported to a limbo where he couldn’t get a decent job, to men of massive influence like Joe Schmidt and Stuart Lancaster, to David Nucifora – the first tsar of Irish rugby in the pro era – rugby here became unrecognisable from its old days.
But with the clock already counting down to the 2027 World Cup in Australia, where are Ireland on their race to the top? And is glory finally within reach?
This ambition is a country mile removed from the awfulness of Irish rugby as the game went from amateur to professional during the nineties. We were all over the shop, and the men behind the counter were lost and disgruntled. But by the arrival of the Six Nations in 2000, pain gave way to change. There were real signs of growth. From Eddie O’Sullivan, who kicked it off and then was deported to a limbo where he couldn’t get a decent job, to men of massive influence like Joe Schmidt and Stuart Lancaster, to David Nucifora – the first tsar of Irish rugby in the pro era – rugby here became unrecognisable from its old days.
But with the clock already counting down to the 2027 World Cup in Australia, where are Ireland on their race to the top? And is glory finally within reach?
320 pages, Paperback
Published December 22, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 23, 2026
A great read of whats gone wrong and went right over the past two decades or so of Irish rugby.
At 280ish pages he can't go into a huge amount of detail, but he does a good job at giving attention to the women's game, all the provinces, the 7s game, the various coaches, the schools game, and the amateur game.
It shows the cultural and structural differences in the fragmented Pro game in Ireland and that helps cast light on things like why Ulster or Munster can't just replicate Leinster. Why setting up the women's game as a clone of the men's game might not work. Why all the upside in the professionalism creeping into schools rugby has a downside too.
It's a great book.
At 280ish pages he can't go into a huge amount of detail, but he does a good job at giving attention to the women's game, all the provinces, the 7s game, the various coaches, the schools game, and the amateur game.
It shows the cultural and structural differences in the fragmented Pro game in Ireland and that helps cast light on things like why Ulster or Munster can't just replicate Leinster. Why setting up the women's game as a clone of the men's game might not work. Why all the upside in the professionalism creeping into schools rugby has a downside too.
It's a great book.
January 1, 2026
Must read for any Irish Rugby fan.
February 18, 2026
Got stuck on this for a while, probably 2.5 stars for me. Sometimes I don’t want to know how the sausage is made
April 12, 2026
Some great insights from some of the big names (and not so big names) as to what has gone on in Irish rugby over the past 20 years. A good one for the rugby nerds out there.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews