I’m English and want Ireland to win because of the way they’re playing and the spirit and love for the game they show. Go well lads 👍💪🍻

Yes we can definitely win the World Cup! (We’re getting knocked out in the QF) Edit: I knew it

Im English, but i really love this Irish team. Excellent players, experience and fantastic depth. They have completely bought into Farrell and his gameplan. They seem a tight team which will bear fruit as the tournament heats up I wish them all the best

As a Scot in the same pool as Ireland and South Africa, I somewhat begrudge Ireland's recent dominance. That being said, if Scotland dont make it out the pool, I will support the bhoys in green

The two final games for us happen before the Quarters. If we get passed them we win it. Honestly, thinking about it now, I think that's a good thing for us. Get the big games out of the way early gives us the best chance of having Sexton on the field when we need him most. The chances of Sexton getting injured before the final is incredibly high.

Whatever about Ireland's chances of a World Cup, this video is a masterpiece.

I might just be young and naive, as I've only really experienced the 2015 and 2019 world cups, but this World Cup feels different. We weren't contenders coming into 2015, and im 2019, we had our faces kicked in by England and Wales in the preceding 6 Nations. Coming into 2019, we had beaten the All Blacks twice in our history. This world cup, we have beaten them 3 times this world cup cycle. We've also beaten every tier one side within the last 2 years. The belief that this will give us in a quarter against likely the ABs or France is not a small thing. On a different note, this World Cup could be massive for Ireland off the field too. Everyone in Ireland, even if they were born two decades after the fact, has been told the heroics of the footballers at Italia 90. A quater final win might honestly be enough to gain that mythological status. The rugby team is also one of the only teams that is cross-border. That means that it's possible for someone from the Shankill road in Belfast to line up alongside someone from the Gaeltacht of Connemara in green. Im not saying we'll go all Nelson Mandela 1995 Invictus on it, but it might go some way on both sides of the border in convincing people what the people of this island can do when we work together.

Really happy to see some love for Conan, he’s been a consistently great player and even had great work rate during his period of ill health. Class player and great to see him get some recognition for his great effort.

"The task ahead that seems simple in a 10 year plan, but very very different once you're stood on French soil, waiting for kickoff." Litteral chills, made me realise how close we finally are to the first kickoff

Come on you boys in green☘️☘️☘️

If we get past the quarter finals I think momentum can take us certainly towards a final, if not necessarily winning it

How did you make me unbelievably excited and simultaneously extremely terrified of this world cup? And why?

Ireland are definite strong contenders - only trouble is their pool and the side of the lop-sided draw they are on - they will need to play Sth Africa and Scotland to get to the quarters - then either France or NZ to get to semis - and then two more tough matches to win - that's a lot of high quality wins and a lot has to go their way. For the first time they have the depth and mental fortitude to do it, as well as the talent and coach but it is still a tough ask. If not Ireland then France is my call, which I say with admiration as a die hard AB fan.....

I’ll be optimistic. We might not get knocked out in the quarter finals. We’ll get knocked out in the semis 💪

I am a South African my money is on the Irish taking it. Previously they peaked to early. 2007 World cup & 2019 as well. This time tough the URC has shown the 2 top Irish teams are world class players with big match temprament. So out of that the national sqaud same mentality & here you go they winning the world cup.

The quarter finals will be our biggest game as it will be either New Zealand or France. If we get past that we’ll have the best chance

Thanks for this, looking forward to the "smaller" teams profiles as well. Getting excited for the RWC, thanks for adding to all of that.

I have been watching your videos for years but I honestly think this might be your best. Love the content!

"They're reheating last nights dinner for their 10th wedding anniversary" 👏👏👏

This is a brilliant analysis, loved the detail in relation to folau too

As an Ireland fan, I think it's very possible that they can win RWC based on current form, hunger and coaching nous. It will require some serious luck though. Here is my prediction -- if they can finally shake off the QF hex (by beating either NZ or France in QF), they will go on to win it. This team is special!

Anything better than QF is a win for me.

I feel a lucky draw is very important and hands the advantage to countries with huge talent pools like New Zealand. Ireland still only need a few key players injured to go from excellent to good/average.

"... the designer of the Quins away kit". Well written, well done! Great video once again.

I’m an All Blacks supporter however the way the Irish team are playing and the French I can see the cup heading north this year.

Last world cup I thought Ireland were just holding back some plays and that Schmidt had some tricks up his sleeve, I was wrong. Can only hope Andy Farrell took note of this and has dozens of plays and attacks ready to use in September

Brilliant stuff as always sir thanks so much!

Hey Squidge - sweet analysis and gotta say thaaaaaanks - for slowing down your commentary speed. Makes it way more enjoyable man. Cheers!

I fancy France. They’re playing every game at home for a start!

Ireland have never had the depth of quality for a world cup, they do now. Its why the relentless pressure startegy works so well during the 6 nations, the back-up reserve player is still a class test player. Whereas before it'd be some half-decent player from a province.

And so it begins. These videos are another reason to love world cup year.

If Ireland beat South Africa convincingly then everything is possible. That's a big IF.

La Rochelle is single-handedly responsible for the 10-year plan's objectives not being fulfilled 😂

I’m glad you helped explain the school system as being critical to ireland and Leinsters success as I think too many people think they can just follow the Dublin school system and success will follow. On your list probably two other rugby “cities” are Edinburgh and Sydney. Former has 4 decent rugby schools (so too small compared to Dublins) and Sydney is competing with rugby league and Aussie rules

Watching this after yesterday's home game againt England is quite fascinating...i guess thet just might! Well look at you Ireland

That analysis was mind-blowing ! We have the squad, hopefully we have the game plan. Just get past the quarters....

As a Bok supporter, pool placing does not matter as long as we make it through there is no easy game ( Fr/NZ) If not Boks I do hope a team from our side of the draw makes it through it would possibly be one of the most deserved WC trophies. It is possible that SA / IRE could need to beat the top 6 ranked teams in the world in a row.

I think Andy gets what the world cup requires better than most coaches, so I think emphasis and further development won't be an issue. In terms of blueprint on beating Ireland I'd be much more concerned by Englands performance than La Rochelles despite the player overlap leinster play very differently to Ireland. Hopefully the coaches will have enough time to work through the exploited weaknesses in the England game (and boks ANS game). Definetly going to be a nervy tournament

Great analysis and many thx for the detail. Really appreciated.

It will be a hot autumn! I'm already planning using some 1/2 days off so I can watch rubgy instead of doing meetings!

Usually its the noise around an Ireland team that build expectation for the World Cup, the impression I've gotten this time around is that the squad and coaching staff are building the expectation and inviting the pressure while the rest of us are quite skeptical. Its hard to be optimistic because we've been in this position before heading to a World Cup, not to mention the draw, but I like the all or nothing attitude in the Ireland camp atm.

It's a cruel pool draw. We might actually play to our potential at a world cup for once, and it might not matter. We've had a great run, but the reality is it's a coin toss between the top four sides.

Brilliant work mate, fingers crossed there are some tricks up the sleave

I was in school with Dorris and then moved school and was with Larmour, the comment made about all these posh schools guys looking like Gary is sooooo accurate

Amazing stuff once again Squidge! Somehow you seem to still be getting better and better at this.

Irelands biggest hurdle will be the massive target on their back. It took the ABs many world cups to figure out how to turn that into a strength. Being the best in the world leading up to the cup doesn’t really mean much anymore.

So excited for quarter final related banter

Can’t beat the crushing experience of 91 My Dad (who’s Irish) was up dancing a jig and then ITV cut to an ad break and get back just in time to see Lynagh Hoover in the corner

So who is your fav for the cup then? It's so exciting that we could have anyone from SA to France instead of the common 3 teams for favourites.

Unbelievably excited for this WC. I have tickets to the Boks vs Ireland pool game. I think it's going to be massive.

I don't know which I enjoyed more: your Harlequins comment (massive Quins fan here), or your replacement clown representing Wales - both tickled me pink! A really great video essay Squidge 😊

Excellent work, Sir.

The single most important reference not adequately covered here is that Ireland went to New Zealand and won in a 5 game series which replicate RWC conditions. This winning mindset set them up for the Six Nations. The URC win in South Africa against a big physical team has given the likes of Crowley, Nash and Coombes preparation in the white heat of finals. The loss to Rochelle was an important tactical lesson in not repeating the same attacking plays that are easily worked out. Andy Farrell has coached his squad to problem solve on the hoof and to be a team which finds a a way to win. Ireland will go further in this RWC than they have ever been before. Just how far is massively exciting.

I think I can speak for most Irish fans, there is certainly huge amount of nerves surrounding the Quarter Final but if there's a team that can push through it it's this squad. I have faith in the players and the coaching staff.

Thanks for that, now I have a much better understanding why we are so good at the moment.

It's Saturday afternoon (16th September) before the Ireland v Tonga game. Romania (82-8) already under the belt. Predicting an attritional (20+ point) win against Tonga for the Irish and then the thermostat gets turned up to the max for the Saffas and Scotland. I suspect 'Papa Farrell' and Co. have a few new moves up their sleeves which will likely be debuted against SA next week. Having seen the French and ABs both play two games already, I think Ireland would prefer to meet the ABs in the QFs - which means they need to beat both SA and Scotland to top Group B. Whether a winning squad in green survives all that attrition remains to be seen but should they (God forbid) reach the SFs (and or Final) they will have beaten all the best teams in the competition to get there! Best World Cup Irish team ever facing the worst World Cup draw since JohnBoySexBottle was a lad - and that's a long time ago!

POM, Beirne, Hansen, Aki and Henderson add so much to the Irish 23. As a Leinster fan, if they can stay fit, we have a chance. Especially Beirne, Hansen and POM

Injuries plays a big role in a tournament like a World Cup. I hope all teams can play their best players and give us a world cup to remember

Of course they can. They have beaten all top contenders over the last year and a half. The question isn't can they, the question is, will they?

Can they? Yes. Will they? We will have to watch the tournament designed to find this out, wont we?

As the great Kiwi coaches say, you play what's in front of you. In the ever shifting lines of defense, you have the ability to continually adapt throughout the game.

mate I love how you break down this game. I just want Ireland to make it past the quarters. They need to prove that and clear out a long term ghost. It all comes down to whether you believe that Ireland were peaking over the last year, or simply getting stronger. I've got to believe that they have been targeting the WC all along, but my gut says that an insane draw that in no way represents the current landscape is going to be too hard.

This guy is great. Love the analysis.

Now in the WC, just found this, and that was excellent. I think we have some new plays!

I would say that ireland could have lost the English game. However that was due to putting in a very nervy performance coupled with England showing some real pride. I think ireland have the skills to do very well provided they don't go into their shell.

Who is watching this after they smashed Romunia 82-8?

"Reheating last night's dinner for your 10th wedding anniversary", great line. 😂

This was excellent. Thank you

Fan from NZ here. While I don't believe rankings are necessarily always an accurate reflection, I do believe Ireland and France are the 2 best rugby teams on the planet right now. That said, there are 5 or 6 teams that could win it this year. The Rugby World Cup is partly about form, and partly about pressure. Ireland have the pressure of being number 1, and France have the pressure of playing at home. I think it will come down to whoever can clear their heads, and handle the pressure best on the day.

South Africa, France and New Zealand will have a lot to say about an Ireland world cup win. I daresay Australia may come good with the well known Eddie Jones short term results boost as well! Either way it will be as gpod a tournament as there has been.

Irish passion and guile with an English coach to give them that long-needed grit and gumption = SORTED!

Cant wait for your Springbok breakdown since the team has been announced.

Love the Irish confidence!

If there was ever Chance for Ireland to make it past the QF this will be it.

Love your analysis, it’s great stuff. COYBIG

SA v Ire tonight! Gonna be huge, but I'm now very nervous after watching this vid!🙃 May the best team win! Go, Boks!

I think most people look at the "irish rwc curse" the wrong way, they don't underperform in world cups, they overperform the rest of the time. Their system allows better player protection, thus less forced changes through injury and more cohesion than any other team, at least in the nothern hémisphere could dream off. A world cup prep tends to nullify those advantages

Ireland are deservably the number one team in the world as they have played a consistent and accurate brand of rugby that has proven incredibly hard to beat over the past WC cycle. Alot has been made of the NZ tour win, a massive milestone for irish rugby and the way they played over the series is something irish fans should be incredibly proud of. I would advise caution though, that NZ team was considered the worst ever and has undergone a massive rebuild since then and the team now are barely recognisable from that rudderless super touch team. There were also a couple of card calls in test 2 & 3 that had they been a diferent colour it could have been a very different series result(not that NZ would have deserved to win it). Irelands key players are Sexton and Furlong for me. Everyone knows how important Sexton is and if hes not fit and firing at the WC its likely ireland will struggle however the form of Furlong is also a concern-hes looking like hes running on fumes and at times has stuggled at scrum time. Ireland will need that set piece platform to go deep in the tournament. France or NZ in the QF will be very hard to navigate. On one hand you have the hosts who will be heavily motivated to put in a result for their fans and on the other hand you have a relatively new look NZ side that are partially coached by the most influential ireland rugby coach in history. This coach has spent the last 12months plotting the downfall of the very team he spent over a decade building.

Class video, the amount of effort that goes into these in unbelievable 💯

Really accurate analysis of the Irish team and their chances - wrapped up in a really funny video - loved it. If not Ireland then Uruguay for sure ..

You can be knocked out of the WC in one game, that's it, many times team's with outstanding seasons and players leading into this competition have gone home early...no guarantees in a world cup

As an Irish supporter, I feel this could be our time but we will have to play extremely well and have that bit of luck that all teams need.

Thank you Squidge

Let the ball do the work. Oldest advice in the book. I love how no matter how things change they always stay the same.

Won’t be easy, but regarding the so called World Cup curse, 1987-1999: Simply weren’t good enough. During this period, Ireland always finished in the bottom two of the 5 nations. 2003: Just turned professional and France caught us the week after a bruising encounter against Australia which emptied us. 2007: Got the preparation wrong and played badly 2011: Just were outplayed by Wales 2015: Same thing that happened in 2003, a fresh Argentina got us the week after a bruising match against France, and we were missing quite a lot of players, including O’Connell and Sexton. 2019: Peaked a year too early, Joe Schmidt’s game plan had been figured out, and we thought Japan would be easy. So that’s my tuppence worth as to why Ireland have had this so called curse.

Such good analysis, and great research into the 2013 plan and Dublin schools etc, very impressive. If Ireland get lucky with injuries I can see them getting to the final (prob lose it to France), as I totally agree they're holding lots back for the WC and Leinster's loss means SA and NZ will now slightly underestimate them again

"The weird Australian hippy" gold 😂

"So much depth that they could find the titanic", accurately predicting another Irish implosion?

I will certainly be rooting for Ireland this year. The World cup really needs a Northern Hemisphere champion again. Although I love our Springkokke, I hope to see more champions from Europe.

I would say YES but there is a big IF. Jonathan Sexton is really the maestro of the team. I cannot see Ireland winning without him. He must stay fit. The irish management made a big mistake the last two World Cup cycles not considering developping a good back-up. I have checked Ross Byrne record with Ireland, his probable back-up if JS unavailable, and it is abysmal. Few big games as a starter and when a starter, always a disaster in terms of results.

As someone from Ireland I can confirm that everyone in Dublin looks like Garry Ringrose

Bloody brilliant

I think it depends on what injuries are picked up against South Africa & France/NZ.

As an Irish fan any chance you’d take down this video before the World Cup! Sound 👍👍 analysis bit too good here

Gloriously analysed

Squidge! How dare you give us hope!!!!??

Wow, if Ireland keep their cool, and play rugby, then there's nothing to stop them going for the World Cup under their belts as well. I am Irish and follow them toi.

AB's have a tough game first up then should cruise through the pool. Ireland have a super tough pool and their hardest games last. The AB's played terrible when Ireland toured and now have a chip on their shoulder against them. Also, everyone has been trashing the AB's coach but the players love him and will want to send him off in the best way. 3 awesome assistants have been brought in recently and have made a difference too. I think the AB's will be hoping to play Ireland in the quarters and Ireland should hope to avoid it. It will be brutal either way. It's good to see the Irish doing so well and this world cup should be the most competitive ever. Can't wait!

Haven't been more excited by a piece of analysis than to hear that ireland won that england game and the grand slam with recycled plays. Hopefully the 2023 squidge rugby retrospective will be good listening for us irish 😅

No, as it turns out. F****d it up in a quarter final AGAIN because we can't handle the pressure.