Ireland's head coach Andy Farrell emphasizes the need for improvement as his squad gears up for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Despite winning six out of eight Tests in 2026, the team faced humbling defeats against France and New Zealand, highlighting the level they must achieve.

With the world champions South Africa set to visit Dublin in November, alongside matches against Argentina and Fiji, Farrell believes his players are ready to rise to the challenge in pursuit of the ultimate prize in Australia.

Farrell stated, "The obvious thing and the boring thing to say is every area. We're a pretty good team, you know, so recognizing that to sort of grow from being a decent team or a good team in the first place is pretty hard to do."

He candidly assessed the current state of the team, questioning if they are ready to board the plane believing they can win the World Cup:

I don't think so, but that excites me more than anything for what's coming up in the next 12 months.

Looking ahead, Farrell noted that without a traditional mid-tournament fallow week next year, Ireland must secure victories in seven consecutive matches to clinch their first World Cup. To prepare for this demanding schedule, he sees the need for his players to cultivate consistency in high-stakes games.

It's something we're mindful of because that's the way of the world, certainly within the Six Nations now with the one fallow week and that's even more taxing,