Ireland 2011 Rugby World Cup Team

Ireland challenges New Zealand in the allocation of the title of biggest under-performers in Rugby World Cup history. Despite consistently fielding teams capable of confronting the best in the world, Ireland has yet to fulfill their potential and make an impact on the Rugby World Cup.

Nickname: N/A
Coach: Declan Kidney
Best World Cup Performance: semifinals (1991)

2011 Rugby World Cup Pool C
Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	TF	TA	BP	Pts
Ireland	4	4	0	0	135	34	15	3	1	17
Australia	4	3	0	1	173	48	25	4	3	15
Italy	4	2	0	2	92	95	13	11	2	10
USA	4	1	0	3	38	122	4	18	0	4
Russia	4	0	0	4	57	196	8	29	1	1

2011 Ireland Rugby World Cup Odds

Click red odds to strike a bet
World Cup – World Cup Winner – 15:42

Click red odds to strike a bet
World Cup - World Cup Ireland Stage of Elimination -
Quarter Final	11/10	6/5	1/1	11/10	1/1	6/5	11/10	11/10
Semi Final	15/8	15/8	2	15/8	11/5	7/4	19/10	9/5
Runner Up	7/2	7/2	10/3	7/2	7/2	7/2	10/3	3
Group Stage	8	-	-	8	-	-	-	-
Winner	12	12	12	12	12	14	12	12

Click red odds to strike a bet
World Cup - Ireland v Russia Handicap (No Draw) - 06:00
Ireland	-35.5 1/6	-42.5 4/9	-49.5 8/11	-50.5 4/5	-50.5 4/5	-51.5 10/11	-51.5 1/1
Russia	+35.5 4	+42.5 1/1	+49.5 1/1	+50.5 10/11	+50.5 10/11	+51.5 10/11	+51.5 9/10

2011 Rugby World Cup

Ireland bombed out of the 2007 World Cup in the group stage despite fielding one of its finest teams in decades. The Irish won’t have it any easier in 2011 as they participate in a pool including Australia and Italy, which will force them to play first string players for three matches

Nevertheless the Irish can be fairly confident of defeating Italy to go through in second place, while a win over Australia is also a distinct possibility. Where the Irish are likely to struggle is in the quarterfinals where they will come up against South Africa or France – two teams with real strength in depth.

Rugby World Cup History

Ireland made a decent Rugby World Cup debut in 1987, reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament before being eliminated by Australia in the semifinals. In 1991 the two teams met again in the quarterfinals, in what is regarded as one of the finest games in Rugby World Cup history.

Ireland appeared to be on the verge of scoring an historic upset over Australia, before a last gasp try broke Irish hearts. During the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, Ireland reached the quarterfinals for the third time, before France became the third team to show Ireland the tournament exit.

Ireland failed to progress beyond the quarterfinals in the next two Rugby World Cups, this despite defeating some of the top teams in the world in the periods between tournaments. Ireland’s biggest disappointment came at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, when a team considered capable of reaching the semifinals failed to progress beyond the group stage.

Strengths

Ireland fields a strong, creative back line, and have proved to have the knack of producing world-class centres. The team has also tended to field quality halfback pairings, and has demonstrated itself as being to able to score tries against some of the best defences in the world.

Weaknesses

Despite the fact that Ireland features players from the multiple Heineken Cup winners, Munster, the team has shown a tendency to crumble under pressure, both in the Rugby World Cup and the Six Nations. The Irish game easily loses shape in confrontational situations, allowing opponents to dictate the pace of play to their preference.

Ireland Rugby World Cup Squad

Forwards

Rory Best, Tony Buckley, Tom Court, Sean Cronin, Leo Cullen, Stephen Ferris, Jerry Flannery, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Shane Jennings, Denis Leamy, Sean O’Brien, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell, Mike Ross, Donnacha Ryan, David Wallace, Rhys Ruddock

Backs

Isaac Boss, Tommy Bowe, Gordon D’Arcy, Keith Earls, Rob Kearney, Fergus McFadden, Geordan Murphy, Conor Murray, *Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble, Paddy Wallace