“The decision was made, let’s put it that way, that we would blood in new players.”
On four occasions between 1992 and 1998, Ireland ended up rock bottom of the Five Nations. With it, they claimed the ignominious wooden spoon. Eddie O’Sullivan came into the Irish set-up to Warren Gatland in the late 90s and recalls that, back then, getting two wins in the championship was looked upon as a solid achievement.
Gatland was at the helm as Irish rugby finally got to grips with their championship rivals and, when O’Sullivan succeeded him as head coach, Triple Crown success followed in the mid 2000s. Declan Kidney and Joe Schmidt followed those men and both delivered Grand Slams (in 2009 and 2018).
‘Ireland’s Awakening’ is the story of one team’s journey from also-rans to champions, over 20 years of the Six Nations, as told by those that were part of an unprecedented period of success.
"We all knew O'Driscoll was good, but that's when we knew the guy was a genius."
Ireland's 6 Nations journey from 2000 to 2020, as told by those that made us believe again
Many thanks to @BrianODriscoll @RonanOGara10 @TheRealEOS @jerryflannery @danleafy @peterom6 & Shane Horgan pic.twitter.com/EBWAkFGDUK
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) January 31, 2020
The 2020 Guinness Six Nations kicks off with 2019 champions Wales taking on Italy before Andy Farrell leads Ireland against Scotland. On Sunday, World Cup finalists England take on France.
Another set of accolades up for grabs and six teams pining for glory as they await the off.
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Barry Murphy and Andrew Trimble are joined by Jerry Flannery, Eddie O’Sullivan and Ali Miller in Reardens, Cork as House of Rugby sets its sights on the 2020 Guinness Six Nations.
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