BIG ONE HAS COME A YEAR LATE FOR IRELAND... BUT WALES CAN GO DEEP

IRELAND: A year ago Ireland would have been right up there as World Cup favourites. They had beaten the All Blacks and the world looked to be at their feet, but they have had a couple of bad slips since. After the scale of their defeat against England at Twickenham last month, I can’t stress how important their win over Wales in Cardiff was in stabilising the ship. Up until then they looked like they were falling over a cliff. They will make it out of their group – they have too many good players not to – but I wouldn’t be as upbeat about their chances as I would have been 12 months ago. WALES: There is a lot of expectation on Wales, having reached No1 in the world briefly this summer, but they are well-equipped to go deep into the tournament. They have a fantastic figurehead in Alun Wyn Jones, who can handle the big occasions and a stand-off in Dan Biggar who is massively underrated. A lot was made of the blow they suffered when Gareth Anscombe was ruled out by injury, but Biggar is one of those players who grows with the size of the stage – as he showed against England at the World Cup four years ago. SCOTLAND: Scotland have become the new France in that no one knows what to expect from them. They can blow hot or cold. At times they show glimpses of brilliance but then at other times you’re left wondering where that team disappeared to. That inconsistency makes them a threat, but it also leaves them vulnerable. If I was Japan or Samoa, I would be eyeing that group game against Scotland thinking a shock is possible.