A lot was expected of Ireland, but they fell short in their quarter-final against the All Blacks

Ireland Rugby World Cup Fixtures, Squad, Group, Guide

Ireland were one of the favourites at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, but once again they failed to make it beyond the quarter-finals – this time being knocked out by New Zealand.

How They Qualified

Ireland were one of the 12 automatic qualifiers for the 2019 tournament.

Key Players

Johnny Sexton is the beating heart of Ireland at fly-half and forms a savvy half-back pairing with Conor Murray. In the pack, tighthead Tadhg Furlong is the cornerstone of the scrum.

Top Class: Murray and Sexton will be the key axis for Ireland (Getty Images)

The Coach – Joe Schmidt

A precise, demanding and brilliant Kiwi coach. He oversaw Ireland’s first-ever win over the All Blacks in 2016 and a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2018, as well as championship titles in 2014 and 2015. He also led Leinster to two European Cups and before that was an assistant at Clermont when they won the Top 14 in 2010.

Impact: Joe Schmidt has had a huge effect on the Ireland side (Getty Images)

Major Work-ons?

The form team in world rugby in 2018, they have suffered a dip in 2019, so the big question is whether they can recapture their best for their quarter-final matchup with New Zealand.

Ireland Rugby World Cup Warm-Ups

  • Saturday 10 August 2019: Ireland 29-10 Italy
  • Saturday 24 August 2019: England 57-15 Ireland
  • Saturday 31 August 2019: Wales 17-22 Ireland
  • Saturday 7 September 2019: Ireland 19-10 Wales

Related: 2019 Rugby World Cup Warm-ups

Ireland Rugby World Cup Group

Ireland are in Group A alongside Scotland, Japan, Russia and Samoa.

Related: 2019 Rugby World Cup Groups

Ireland Rugby World Cup Kit

Ireland Rugby World Cup Fixtures

Foes: Ireland will face Scotland during the 2019 World Cup (Getty Images)

Ireland Rugby World Cup Squad

Ireland have announced their squad for the upcoming World Cup;

Forwards (17):
Cian Healy
Dave Kilcoyne
Rory Best
Niall Scannell
Sean Cronin (replaced by Rob Herring)
Tadhg Furlong
Andrew Porter
John Ryan
James Ryan
Iain Henderson
Jean Kleyn
Tadhg Beirne
CJ Stander
Peter O’Mahony
Josh van der Flier
Jack Conan (replaced by Jordi Murphy on Sunday 29 September after suffering a foot injury)
Rhys Ruddock

Backs (14):
Rob Kearney
Jordan Larmour
Keith Earls
Jacob Stockdale
Andrew Conway
Chris Farrell
Robbie Henshaw
Bundee Aki
Garry Ringrose
Jonathan Sexton
Joey Carbery
Jack Carty
Conor Murray
Luke McGrath

Related: 2019 Rugby World Cup Fixtures

Previous World Cup Results and Record

Ireland’s Rugby World Cup Record: P40 W24 D0 L16

  • 1987 Quarter-finals
  • 1991 Quarter-finals
  • 1995 Quarter-finals
  • 1999 Quarter-final play-offs
  • 2003 Quarter-finals
  • 2007 Pool stages
  • 2011 Quarter-finals
  • 2015 Quarter-finals
  • 2019 Quarter-finals

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