Ireland's home World Cup has gone horribly awry: they today lost 36-24 to Australia in a sub-competition for the glory of finishing in fifth position. Ireland had squeezed past Australia in a scarcely-deserved victory in the pool stages at UCD, with the underperformance in that game offering some worrying signs for the tournament ahead.
Such portends have proved well-founded: Ireland were unconvincing against Japan and outclassed against France in the subsequent pool games. Today, the competition hit a new low: the scoreline at Ravenhill flattered Ireland, with a couple of late tries adding gloss to the scoreboard.
Speaking on Eir Sport, Eddie O'Sullivan was in no mood to obscure the result with empty platitudes about bravery and honesty. He described the result as "disastrous", calling Ireland's defending "appalling".
You can watch his dissection of Ireland's disappointment below:
"12 points tells a big lie here, it's not a 12-point game. It's a disastrous result" - Eddie O'Sullivan. #WRWC2017 #BringIT pic.twitter.com/Gk8fFtaYH1
— eirSport (@eirSport) August 22, 2017
