Andy Farrell’s Ireland is aiming to make at least their first-ever Rugby World Cup semi-final this year and they are unlikely to have a better chance having started 2023 as the world’s top-ranked side. The players Farrell takes to France will have a large bearing on the outcome and this is the place to come for the latest news about Ireland’s Rugby World Cup squad. With an embarrassment of riches, Farrell is sure to have plenty of selection headaches.

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Ireland Rugby World Cup team and France Rugby World Cup 2023

Four years ago in Japan, then-captain Rory Best brought the curtain down on his career by retiring after the 46-14 quarter-final defeat to New Zealand. But after beating the All Blacks across a three-match series in their own backyard in 2022, Ireland will arrive in France with renewed confidence. Will Johnny Sexton make it to his fourth World Cup at the age of 38? Will he skipper the side? Find out the answers to those questions and more below.

And as of 2021, it was announced by World Rugby that World Cup squad sizes would be increased from 31 players to 33 for the showcase in France, as part of ongoing player-welfare initiatives. It was made that way alongside plans for there to be at least five days of preparation for all matches, with the pool stages extended by a week.

Ireland Rugby World Cup squad for RWC 2023

Here is where you will find Ireland’s full 33-strong World Cup squad as soon as it is officially announced. Ireland have been drawn in Pool B alongside reigning champions South Africa, Scotland, Tonga and Romania.

Sat 9 Sept Ireland v Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux), 2.3opm

Sat 16 Sept Ireland v Tonga (Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes), 8pm

Sat 23 Sept South Africa v Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis), 8pm

Sat 7 Oct Ireland v Scotland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis), 8pm 

The knockout stages will follow the same format as previous years, with teams from Pools A and B then Pools C and D meeting in the quarter-finals. So, Wales and England could meet in the last eight.

QF1 – Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D
QF2 – Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A
QF3 – Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C
QF4 – Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B

Then the semi-finals will be the Winner of QF1 v Winner QF2 and the Winner of QF3 v Winner QF4.

Ireland's Big Lesson From 2019 Team Must Heed This Year

No test-playing nation came into the World Cup year in 2019 with as much exuberance and hope as Ireland, which was understandably justified. No test-playing nation came into the World Cup year in 2019 with as much exuberance and hope as Ireland, which was understandably justified. Worldwide Tickets and Hospitality offers Rugby World Cup tickets for the France Rugby World Cup 2023 at the best prices. Rugby fans can buy Ireland Vs Romania Tickets at exclusively discounted prices.

Ireland Rugby World Cup team and France Rugby World Cup 2023

They had just completed one of the more incredible test seasons in memory in 2018. It included a Grand Slam Six Nations title to start the year, a 2-1 series victory over the Wallabies in Australia in June and an undefeated November, which concluded with a famous win over the All Blacks at home. Joe Schmidt was named World Rugby Coach of the Year.

Ireland was riding high with expectations and firming a successful World Cup campaign in Japan as the new year dawned. Ireland had surpassed England with two consecutive wins in the last two Six Nations and knocked off New Zealand, the two leading teams at that point in the cycle. After reaching the peak of its powers, the World Cup couldn't come around soon enough. Ireland was ready to get past the quarterfinal stage, and more beckoned.

The opening game of the Six Nations in February saw England visit Dublin, where Ireland was the heavy favorite, having defeated the All Blacks at the same venue just four months earlier, while England had fallen off the rails in 2018. Within 90 seconds, the air was sucked out of the Aviva Stadium, as Jonny May scored the opening try in clinical fashion. In those first few minutes, England looked sharp, powerful and overall, too strong.

It was very early in the test, but the signs were ominous. Ireland had been punched in the face, and it was quite clear who was going to win the fight from that point. That stunning 32-20 loss put Irish rugby in a state of flux, seemingly robbing the team of its mojo. Everything began to fall apart, and the harder they tried to recapture the magic, the more things went wrong.

Sexton was hauled over the coals for his visible frustrations with his own players against Italy. They won, but the 26-16 score was anything but impressive. It was clear they couldn't get their game clicking, and something was amiss. The visit to Cardiff in the final round was the breaking point and where the wheels began to fall off. Wales scored within two minutes, its only try of the game, but suffocated Joe Schmidt's side into a 25-7 beating.

Confidence shattered, by the end of the Six Nations, Ireland had gone from clear favourite to third-best in Europe, some distance behind England and Wales, which was confirmed in the late summer. In the summer warmups, Ireland suffered a humiliating 57-15 defeat at the hands of England on a sunny Twickenham afternoon. From peak optimism in January, despondency was rife in August. By the time the World Cup rolled around, Ireland was a shell of the side that stormed through 2018. The squad suffered a shock defeat in pool play to host Japan and ended up drawing the All Blacks in a quarterfinal. The All Blacks tore Ireland to pieces.

Once they got to the top, they didn't know what to do next, other than look too far ahead to the Rugby World Cup, the next obvious frontier, instead of the next task in front of them. Schmidt admitted they changed the way they handled the Six Nations that year in order to 'be really good at the RWC but ended up bombing out at both tournaments.

Ireland might be the No. 1-ranked side, but the Irish have not conquered France in this Rugby World Cup cycle, losing in 2020, 2021 and 2022. France Rugby Team offers a target to hunt, with added motivation. Ireland has not tasted success in the Six Nations since its last title in 2018 under Schmidt, which should have Andy Farrell's side hungrier than ever.

His message should be along the lines of 'don't waste the chance to win the Six Nations by expending even a second of thought on what will happen later in the year.' The two are completely unrelated outcomes, but they're equally important. France Rugby Side is almost exactly where Ireland was in 2018, coming off a Grand Slam and a historic winning season. If any team is going to drop the ball this Six Nations, it is France, with one eye already on hosting the Rugby World Cup.

Ireland Rugby World Cup team and France Rugby World Cup 2023

Romania Rugby World Cup team set to return to RWC 2023 stage

Following the deduction of the sovereign appeal process, the Romania Rugby World Cup team will take Spain's place in Pool B at RWC 2023. Romania will reappearance to the game’s biggest stage next year after it was established the Oaks had qualified for France Rugby World Cup 2023.

Andy Robinson’s side finished the combined 2021 and 2022 Rugby Europe Championship in third and looked set to contest in the RWC 2023 Final Qualification Tournament. Though, second-place Spain was then handed a 10-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player in two RWC 2023 qualifying games, a decision that was supported by a plea. Rugby fans can buy Romania Rugby World Cup Tickets at exclusively discounted prices.

It's income that the Romania Rugby team will take their place in Pool B alongside Webb Ellis Cup holders South Africa, Ireland, Scotland and the Asia/Pacific 1 qualifier as they feature in their 10th Rugby World Cup. The Oaks had been Rugby World Cup always presents until they botched to succeed in the showpiece tournament in Japan three years ago.

Romania’s place in the Final Qualification Tournament will be taken by Portugal, who finished just two facts behind them crossways the 2021 and 2022 Championships. The Oaks won six of their 10 Rugby Europe Championship bouts across 2021 and 2022, the most vital of those being the 37-27 defeat of Portugal and the final stay 38-12 win against the Netherlands.

Ireland Rugby World Cup team and France Rugby World Cup 2023

The Romania Rugby team had to dig deep to beat Portugal in Bucharest in February, finding themselves 22-13 behind at half-time. Though, second-half tries from Ovidiu Cojocaru, Alexandru Savin and Andre Gorin ensured they pulled off a momentous reply. Heading into the closing round, Robinson’s side knew they wanted to beat the Netherlands to leapfrog the Portuguese in the standings, and they raced into a four-try lead.

The Netherlands Team hit back with two tries to close the gap, but Romania again finished strongly to put the seal on a 26-point victory. Robinson and his players didn’t know it at the time but victory in Amsterdam eventually secured their place in France the next year. Their courtesies will now turn to rival with the best at RWC 2023.

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