With none of the three provinces reaching the Champions Cup quarter-finals this season, meaning it was the first time since 1998 that no Irish team made the knockout stage of Europe's premier competition - suggestions of a World Cup hangover were rampant.
This suggestion was largely dismissed by current and past professionals, and while the idea has left the mind of most people - Ireland's poor start to this Six Nations campaign does hint that not all is right within Irish rugby.
But one player's season could be hint that a World Cup hangover is real. Jordi Murphy was one player's whose season was badly affected by going to the World Cup. With Murphy away with the Irish squad, Josh van der Flier was given a chance with Leinster and took it. Murphy lost his place with his province, and his form suffered - much like the rest of Ireland's World Cup squad.
I went through a bit of a low for a while. It was obvious to see. I knew myself. I just wasn’t quite physically right and it was affecting my performances.
It's not a coincidence that the majority of the best players in Ireland this season didn't feature in Ireland's World Cup squad. Most players rushed back into action with their provinces in an attempt to quickly get over the devastating loss to Argentina.
But perhaps they could have used an extended break like the one that Murphy was forced to take after losing his place from van der Flier and Sean O'Brien. There are some players in the Ireland squad that haven't been able to regain their form, and a rest could benefit everything in Irish rugby.
As for Murphy? The flanker has re-discovered his form since being afforded an opportunity with Leinster at the start of the Six Nations, and he's pushing to come back into the national set-up.
[Irish Examiner]
See Also: History Tells Us The 'World Cup Hangover' Theory Doesn't Really Add Up
Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
