Ireland head into the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France as the top ranked team and reigning Six Nations grand slam champions. But back at home, the team's bleak history of underperformance in World Cups, means Irish fans remain cautiously optimistic.
It's time for the world's keenest underdogs to finally tackle the burden of being a favourite.
Bookies fancy both those teams - along with South Africa - for the trophy ahead of Ireland, despite being the Irish occupying the top of the world rankings for the past 14 months. But they can't escape a long, bleak history of underperformance at the World Cup - crashing out at the quarter-final stage no fewer than seven times.Combined with pitching up on the"hard" side of the draw, you could understand talk of nerves from Ireland captain Johnny Sexton in Bordeaux ahead of the team's opening game against minnows Romania.
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