Ireland's head coach, Andy Farrell, firmly believes that his team can win the World Cup this year. Despite being the number one ranked side in the world and hot favorites to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy, Ireland has never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage, suffering defeats in 2011, 2015, and 2019.
This year, however, Ireland enters the tournament with its best squad of players ever, having secured another Grand Slam victory. The team has also demonstrated its prowess by defeating top sides such as South Africa, Australia, France, and New Zealand.
When questioned about Ireland's chances of winning the World Cup in France, Farrell responded confidently, saying, "Why wouldn't we?" He emphasised the team's attitude and daily pursuit of improvement, drawing strength from their past achievements. Farrell stressed that having solid belief and confidence is crucial to perform well in the tournament.
“Why wouldn’t we? There’s only an attitude within the group that we chase every day to make sure that we’re better as a team, better as individuals. What we’ve done in the past adds a little bit of belief. “How we’re pushing to try and get better in our training obviously will be built and will be judged in the coming weeks but the confidence that we hope to have going into a World Cup has to be rock solid.
“There’s no point in turning up for a World Cup if we don’t believe that we can win it.”
Ireland's upcoming matches against Italy, England, and Samoa will provide ample opportunities for Farrell to assess his players' performances. By the end of August, the initial 42-man squad will be trimmed down to 33.
💬 "There are no warm up games when you're playing at Aviva Stadium for Ireland."
Head Coach Andy Farrell spoke to media earlier after naming his Match Day Squad to face Italy 👇#TeamOfUs pic.twitter.com/1B5hNE9gX5— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) August 3, 2023
Although Farrell hasn't finalised his squad selection, he assured that regulars would be included. He also acknowledged the unluckiness of some players on the outside, nursing injuries or recovering from a difficult period. Those individuals will still be in contention if they are fit and capable.
"There's also people on the outside of those [42] who have unbelievably unlucky. "People nursing injuries, people we believe are on the way back from from a difficult time last year.
"People who have got money in the bank as well, you know, are certainly in the reckoning if they are fit and able"
Considering the nature of concussions and related issues, Farrell anticipates that more players may be utilised during the World Cup. Nonetheless, he refrained from making predictions, acknowledging the unpredictability of the sport.
"This World Cup – I'm not at good at predicting anyway but if I was a betting man I’d think that there will be more players used, just because of the nature of concussion and everything that goes with it."
Ireland's game against Italy will kick off at 8 pm this evening.
