Kearney believes Ireland's 2023 crop are a 'different animal' heading into RWC

Former Ireland fullback Rob Kearney believes that the 2023 version of the Irish Rugby team has enough to overcome their quarter-final woes from the past in France this year.

Ireland will commence their World Cup journey against Romania on September 9th. Ireland should pass that test with relative ease, but what's to come after that will pique the interest of onlookers.

If Ireland manages to advance from a pool that includes teams like Tonga, Scotland, South Africa, Samoa, and Romania, they will face either France or New Zealand in the quarter-finals, depending on whether they finish first or second.

Ireland's quarter-final mental block has never been dispelled, and echoes of 2019, 2015, and 2011 still linger in the memory of fans and former players. Kearney won 95 caps for Ireland and played in three World Cups.

In 2019, hosts Japan pulled off one of the most significant upsets in Rugby World Cup history by defeating the second-ranked Ireland 19-12 in Shizuoka.

Kearney, who was part of that squad, believes that the Ireland team under Andy Farrell is still evolving. He thinks the rugby played under the guidance of Ireland coaches Mike Catt, Paul O'Connell, and Farrell is the best brand of rugby the country has ever produced.

"My impression is that they haven’t plateaued or regressed yet, as was definitely the case in 2019," he said to Virgin Media.

“They’re still very much growing; they’re striving to improve. Their attacking game is in a far superior situation.

“It’s undoubtedly the best brand of rugby an Irish team has ever played."

Kearney also praised Stuart Lancaster's impact at Leinster. He believes that Farrell and the coaches were right to adopt the same structure as the former English coach.

“The attacking game is second to none. There are two or three options at the ruck every single time. We’ve got some of the best ball-handling forwards in the world.

“A substantial amount of credit has to go to Stuart Lancaster, who changed the way Leinster played over the past few years. It made perfect sense for Andy and his coaching staff to adopt a similar type of game.”