Justin Marshall reckons the Autumn Nations Series shows that Ireland are vulnerable as the All Blacks great looks ahead to the Six Nations Championship.
Andy Farrell’s men claimed three victories in November but the majority of their performances were subpar.
Despite hammering Fiji, they succumbed to the All Blacks and only just overcame Argentina and the Wallabies, winning both games 22-19.
It is a far cry from the team that were so dominant at times in 2022 and 2023, with them holding the number one ranking for over a year heading into the Rugby World Cup.
Six Nations favourites
Ireland and France are currently joint favourites with a number of bookmakers for the Six Nations title, but Marshall believes that the former have work to do if their November form is anything to go by.
“You do have to wonder whether or not they’ve lost their mojo a little bit. I thought that they still have the calibre of player but they’re starting to get figured out a little bit in the way that they play,” he told DSPN with Martin Devlin.
“Particularly defensively, the All Blacks have struggled [in attack] against them for a couple of years, but both Australia and New Zealand showed that they could score tries against Ireland and that will be concerning for Andy Farrell.”
Ireland will also be without head coach Farrell for this tournament as he prepares for the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia.
Simon Easterby has taken over on an interim basis and will lead them during the upcoming Six Nations.
“I don’t know how much involvement he’s (Farrell) going to have because he’s obviously the Lions coach,” Marshall said.
“For me, it will be about whether they can change the picture a little bit because teams are starting to figure them out.
“When you’re number one in the world, you’re the team that other sides want to knock off your pedestal. People are starting to recognise that they are more vulnerable than they have been.”
Marshall did praise Ireland’s mentality but the former Ospreys, Montpellier and Saracens half-back felt that they were outplayed by both the All Blacks and Wallabies when reflecting on the Autumn Nations Series.
Australia ‘dominant’
“I thought that they were resilient in November, and good teams are resilient – they find a way to win regardless of the situation,” he added.
“The All Blacks tipping them up was incredibly satisfying for them given that there had been a bit of history in the last few years.
“I thought on the day they were really underdone when I watched it live. Obviously, it was their first game in a very long time, so the All Blacks did have an advantage in that regard.
“They looked a little unprepared, but the All Blacks put together a really complete game plan on the day, and so did Australia.
“When I watched that game, Australia dominated Ireland. The fact that they couldn’t just defend a couple of rolling mauls cost them and it’s been a bit of an Achilles heel for Australia.
“If you take that out of the mix and then look at the balance of the game, Australia should have beaten Ireland as well.”
