For the weekend that will be in it.

Wednesday, October 20th, 1999.

The Stade Félix Bollaert, Lens.

A much fancied Irish team just had to show up and beat Los Pumas to secure a World Cup quarter-final place at Lansdowne Road. Guided by Warren Gatland and Donal Lenihan, they had, in fairness, steadied Irish rugby’s on-field fortunes.

Plucky tyke Brian O’Driscoll becoming evergreen in an Irish shirt even before he had broken through at Leinster.

Times were bon..

Donal Spring writing for the Irish Times said:

For this Irish squad, the 1999 World Cup is over before it really begins. We all knew that we were going to get to Lens and that we would meet our first genuine test there as we were always unlikely to beat Australia.

We have failed that test. In these days of public relations the message from the Irish camp was to go “where no Irish team had gone before in the World Cup”. They have achieved that distinction, but it is not quite what they had in mind..

We’ve been here before it would seem.

RUCK!