The ‘unsung hero’ in Ireland’s armoury which makes them Rugby World Cup ‘favourites’

All Blacks great Andrew Mehrtens believes that there is a specific trait in Ireland’s game that marks them out from the rest.

They became the number one ranked side in July 2022 following a series victory over the All Blacks and have held that spot ever since.

Andy Farrell’s men went into the Rugby World Cup among the favourites for the title, but there were concerns that they would struggle to live up to expectations given their previous failures.

Those worries have been allayed slightly given their impressive performances against Romania and Tonga, but the pressure has been ramped up this weekend.

The Irish go head-to-head with defending champions South Africa, who themselves have started this competition impressively.

Winner becomes number one

To add even more spice to the occasion, the number one ranking is on the line in Paris on Saturday, but Mehrtens believes that Ireland’s ability to “find solutions” gives them a slight edge over the Springboks.

“They have got the bulk, they have got the strength and power to have a good go at the Boks. They will also unlock the defence better, perhaps, than the All Blacks were able to show against France or against South Africa at Twickenham,” he told the BBC 5 Live Rugby Daily podcast.

“Ireland will go in with confidence. Where I think they are phenomenal is communication. The All Blacks, for that 10-year period where they really dominated more than any other period in history with 2011 and 2015 World Cups, communication was such an unsung hero as part of their armoury.

“It enables them to go into structured play but react to what’s going on in front of them. That’s through clear, precise and accurate communication.

“Ireland have a plan that they are working to. As soon as the picture changes in front of them or there’s an opportunity, they will be able to react to that because they have got multiple runners at any given time. They are all running realistic lines.

“They are always attracting defenders and there’s always going to be an opportunity somewhere. It’s like that great Australian team that was marshalled by Stephen Larkham where he had multiple runners and it’s just the reading of the play and the communication that allows him to choose the right one.

“Look, I don’t want to write off South Africa, because they are phenomenal, they’ve got patience and they smash you, smash you, and as soon as there’s the slightest opportunity, they pounce. Whether it’s (Manie) Libbok, (Cheslin) Kolbe, (Kurt-Lee) Arendse, they have got so many different lethal players who can just pounce on any opportunity.”

World Cup favourites

Despite Ireland being the number one side in the world, Mehrtens believes that they are going under the radar.

The ex-All Black even went as far to say that Farrell’s charges should be at the top of the list of favourites, despite the presence of France, South Africa and New Zealand in the tournament.

“People are talking a bit more about Ireland, probably still not as much as we should be,” he added.

“They really should be the first team that comes off the tongue when you’re talking about favourites for the Rugby World Cup.

“France are looking good, South Africa are obviously building as well, and are a phenomenal team. Ireland really deserve to be talked about a lot more. They will be happy about it, going about their business bit by bit.

“That was an impressive performance against Tonga by Ireland. A comprehensive victory against a team that has no shortage of talent, has no shortage of players who are starting to get a bit more cohesion – they are no mugs Tonga.

“To put them away like that was impressive. They will go up another gear this weekend, I’m sure Ireland.”

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