Ireland's defeat to England at Twickenham on Saturday has somewhat thrown the Six Nations Championship on its head.
Andy Farrell's men went to London with the chance to secure back-to-back titles and set up a final-day shot at a Grand Slam when Scotland visit the Aviva Stadium.
Instead, they came out second best against a ferocious England side, who put in their best performance yet of the Steve Borthwick era. England were outstanding in victory but there was much left to be desired by a sloppy and timid Ireland performance.
It had appeared as though Ireland were on course to claim back-to-back Grand Slam crowns to soften the blow of last year's heartbreaking World Cup quarter-final exit. Now that that opportunity has been squandered, however, ex-All Black Jeff Wilson has raised question marks about Ireland's ability to get over the line in the biggest games.
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All Blacks legend Jeff Wilson thinks Ireland showed true colours v England
Wilson was one of the panellists on Sky Sport NZ's 'The Breakdown' this week, reacting to the latest round of Six Nations action.
The former All Black, who started the 1995 World Cup final, said that he felt Ireland's poor performance in Twickenham had proven a worrying trait of Andy Farrell's team:
This proves, to me, that last year's World Cup wasn't a fluke. It wasn't a fluke.
Once again, in a game where the tournament was on the line, guess who didn't perform? Ireland.
Ireland have now presented an opportunity to both England and Scotland next weekend. It's a massive weekend.
Though Saturday's game against England was only Ireland's second defeat in almost two years, Wilson will perhaps not be alone in asking questions about the mentality of this Ireland side in the biggest games.
9 March 2024; Tadhg Furlong of Ireland is tackled by George Martin of England during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium in London, England. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Last year's last-eight exit to New Zealand marked the eighth time Ireland have been eliminated at the quarter-final stage. Having entered the World Cup as one of the leading contenders to go all the way, not even reaching the last four was bitterly disappointing for Ireland. The opening stages of that game, similar to Saturday's defeat, saw an onslaught of opposition pressure which had New Zealand 13-0 up within the first 20 minutes.
In the aftermath of the World Cup quarter-final, Wilson said he was frustrated to hear pundits sympathising with Ireland, saying the All Blacks deserved more credit.
Ireland's defeat to England now hands their opponents a shot at winning the tournament should the Boys in Green slip up again on the final day. Jeff Wilson believes that England could also be a threat when they visit New Zealand on a two-game tour this summer:
To me, it [also] confirms that England are a serious threat. If they get to play how they want to play when they come down here in the middle of the year, they're going to be dangerous.
Despite the disappointment of Twickenham, Ireland are still firm favourites to win this year's Six Nations. They can secure the title with victory over Scotland in Dublin on Saturday (4:45pm) - though a draw will also be sufficient. The Scots and France join Ireland and England in having a chance of tournament glory this weekend - we have a full breakdown of the permutations here.
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