DUBLIN: It all gets a bit more serious from here on in. Ireland left Guildford in good spirits last night having spent the last five days here with the sun on their backs and a smile on their faces.
If they’re back in this neck of the woods in three weeks’ time, they’ll have made history by reaching the last four of the World Cup for the first time.
The weather has been superb all week as they trained at the Surrey Sports Park, but winter is coming.
After comfortably showing their superiority in skirmishes with Canada and Romania, they now face their first proper battle against Italy.