Thin line between celebration and triumphalism

THE phrase you are looking for is: ‘Oooh errr.’ Comic-book expressions of fear seem the best option in the wake of New Zealand’s 96-17 obliteration of Italy on Friday night.

It has been a rough couple of years for Ian Foster and his players, caught in the crosshairs of a forensic fanbase and merciless media who have never been convinced the head coach was the right man for the job.

On Friday night, New Zealand looked like they were actually enjoying their rugby again — smiles creased the pitch and extended up to coaches box, where the sight of a beaming, joshing Joe Schmidt cut a stark contrast with Japan four years ago.

And, with the shackles off and Italy’s defenders in turnstile mode, New Zealand hit levels of excellence we have not yet witnessed from anyone at this tournament — best typified by the electric Damian McKenzie off the bench.

McKenzie has always had the talent and charisma to be a world superstar but his career has been held back by injury and uncertainty on how best to use him.

Replacing Richie Mo’unga at 10 after 64 minutes, Mackenzie, still only 28, was unplayable here — a mesmerising blur of mullet and menace — and this is a guy who cannot even get in the first team?

With New Zealand scheduled to meet Ireland in the quarter-finals in a couple of weeks, this was a truly arresting and sobering experience.

All of a sudden, choruses of Zombie do not seem quite as punchy, nor the memes of

Irish players saddling Springboks quite as amusing.

Indeed, a week on from a victory that has been quite ridiculously described as one of the most significant in Irish rugby history, reality may finally be sinking in.

While the benefits of beating the champions in terms of morale and momentum are undeniable, the tangible rewards were always dubious.

Yet, we were high-fiving the fact it would be New Zealand and not France in the quarters? Rock….meet hard place. Now, after Antoine Dupont’s injury and this display by the All Blacks, the picture looks different.

Ireland’s supporters fully deserved to celebrate an excellent victory at the Stade de France but there is a thin line between celebration and triumphalism and the Irish response was over the top.

If the Boks had a goal-kicker, instead of hearing how Andy Farrell’s men defused the bomb squad, it would have been more talk of our failure to handle the power game.

Ireland’s overreaction to beating the Boks was picked up across the rugby world, the general feeling being that the Paddies are getting ahead of themselves again.

The good news is that there is no danger of that happening in camp. The message from Farrell and his coaches will be constant: ‘Superb so far lads, but nothing has been won yet.’

Maybe everyone else will now cop on to that fact.