One down, three to go.
Ireland’s Rugby World Cup campaign got off to the perfect start yesterday as Joe Schmidt’s men dismantled Scotland by a score of 27-3. The result means that we now have a strong chance of topping the pool, meaning we’ll be faced with what should be an easier opponent in the quarter-final – most likely South Africa and not New Zealand.
Before that, there’s still the matter of getting through our remaining three group games which will be against Japan on September 28, Russia on October 3 and Samoa on October 12.
By the time the last game comes around, we should know our fate but the performance against Samoa should give us all a decent look at how we’re fixed ahead of the knockout stages. On that Saturday morning, the match will kick off at 11.45am, which should give you about a quarter of an hour to swap your rugby jersey for your soccer gear. From 2pm, Ireland’s footballers will be playing away to Georgia in a match which will go a long way to deciding if we’ll take part at Euro 2020 next year.
Of course, this all means that any plans you have for Saturday October 12 should be cancelled immediately. Except if you’re getting married or whatever but even then, it might be best to have a screen nearby.
Let’s hope we’ll be having a double celebration on the day.
