IRELAND GET A RAW DEAL IN BIG 3 FIXTURES

IRELAND supporters had better lap up the novelty of picking off the southern hemisphere’s big three for the first time ever in the same calendar year.

It won’t be happening again in the three years between now and the 2019 World Cup as New Zealand are not on Ireland’s schedule unless the sides meet in Japan, and no one has any idea yet on what the tour schedules will be from 2020 onwards as no compromise is in sight in discussions to better align the northern and southern hemisphere rugby calendars.

Facing the southern giants as much as possible is viewed as an accelerator in any European player’s growth. However, it is curious that in 21 years of professional rugby, 2016 was only the third time Ireland got to face the Boks, the Blacks and the Wallabies in the same year.

Compare that to England, who have annually faced the big three on a dozen occasions since ’95, and even Wales, who have done so a half-dozen times. England are the only European team to match Ireland’s feat of beating the big three in the same year, doing so in 2002 and 2003.

Ireland have also been shortchanged in terms of the overall number of such fixtures, facing that trio just 50 times since 1995, way short of England’s 78, Wales’ 66 and France’s 65.

A top four seeding in next May’s draw for the 2019 World Cup is being viewed by some as an imperative for Ireland who head into the Six Nations in fourth spot behind New Zealand, England and Australia. However, a top four draw seeding is no guarantee of a first ever semifinal. France, the fourth-ranked side for the England 2015 draw only made it to the quarterfinals, and it was the same fate for Argentina, the fourth-ranked team for the New Zealand 2011 draw, held in December 2008.