'Evolution beckons for Ireland as legends bow out'

In the aftermath of a hard-fought win over Italy, as Ireland greeted the thousands of travelling supporters who made the trip to Rome, it was hard not to feel as though it was the end of an era.

Pushed all the way by the Azzurri, the Irish players waved to fans and loved ones in the Stadio Olimpico crowd after a harder-than-expected 22-17 victory.

The scenes were reminiscent of the 2023 World Cup in France, where Ireland temporarily made the Stade de France their home away from home with memorable wins over South Africa and Scotland.

Both tales ultimately ended in heartache. Their World Cup adventure was ended by New Zealand while, in the Italian capital on Saturday, any faint Irish hopes of remaining at the Six Nations summit were emphatically crushed when England put Wales to the sword.

It ensured a dispiriting end to a Six Nations that at one stage promised much for Ireland.

A Triple Crown-securing win over Wales in round three stirred hopes of a Grand Slam and a third straight title, only for France to tear up the script in Dublin.

But unlike England, who scored 10 tries in a record win in Cardiff, Ireland were unable to sign off in style, instead allowing Italy to dream of victory up until the closing stages.

The World Cup was seen as Ireland's big chance. A year removed from a historic series success in New Zealand and six months on from completing the Grand Slam on home soil, it felt as though the squad were peaking at the right time.

It proved a false dawn. Johnny Sexton, the heartbeat of Irish rugby, was denied a fairytale ending to his Test career. Eighteen months on, three of his long-time team-mates - Peter O'Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray - bow out amid a feeling of what might have been.

And the curtain closing on three more illustrious careers in green brings into focus the need for Ireland to evolve.

Even before the France game, Paul O'Connell admitted the squad will encounter "days when we struggle" given the experience drain.

And while striking a more positive note, Caelan Doris hammered home the need for improvement on the road ahead as he recapped his first Six Nations as captain on Saturday.

"There are obviously lots of things we can learn and grow from over the last couple of weeks and I hope that it will be a springboard for us as a group to go on and continue to evolve, and a bit of a realisation that there's still a lot of work to be done and a lot in us," said the Irish skipper.

'We've gone from hoping to expecting'

For the first time in 14 years, O'Mahony will not be part of that work.

Having poured his lot into the Irish cause over a career that yielded 114 caps and five Six Nations titles - including one as captain - the Munster great is looking forward to watching games from the stands with his family.

And as he bows out, O'Mahony - as well-placed as anyone to comment on the health of Irish rugby - insists the team is still in "incredible shape" despite a third-place finish, considering where they have come from.

O'Mahony, of course, was one of the last links to the darker days, pointing to the famous 2013 loss to Italy in Rome.

Ireland finished fifth that year, but rebuilt impressively under Joe Schmidt after Declan Kidney's departure, capturing back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015 before the Grand Slam three years later.

"Now the expectation of everyone in Ireland when we take to the pitch is that we win," said O'Mahony, who received a rapturous ovation when he replaced Josh van der Flier after 51 minutes against Italy.

"The expectation when we start the Six Nations is that we win the Six Nations. That's down to the hard work of the players. We've gone from hoping to expecting. Over the space of a decade or so, we've changed the mindset of players and supporters to expect nothing but wins from Ireland.

"That group is one of the most talented you'll ever come across from an Irish point of view. I look at the younger players I've been lucky enough to play alongside over the past eight weeks, it's getting better and better.

"It gives me a huge amount of pride, Cian [Healy] spoke inside about leaving a mark on the younger players and if I've made a little difference or shown them a few things not to do, I'd be a happy man."

The pain of relinquishing their Six Nations crown will be acute in the days ahead, but Ireland have much to look forward to in the remainder of 2025.

However, before a Chicago rematch against the All Blacks and mouthwatering Dublin Tests against Australia and South Africa in November, interim boss Simon Easterby will oversee a summer tour.

While the details have not been confirmed, matches against Georgia, Romania and Portugal have been mooted.

Regardless of the opponents, though, it will be a crucial period as Easterby looks to future-proof the squad and introduce new talent to the international game while his frontline players are on the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia.

Since last year's Six Nations triumph, Ireland have blooded Jamie Osborne, Tom Clarkson, Sam Prendergast, Cormac Izuchukwu, Gus McCarthy and Jack Boyle.

But outside of the retiring O'Mahony and Conor Murray, 10 of Ireland's 23 against Italy are at least 30 years of age, highlighting the need for squad progression.

Summer tours on Lions years have in the past been fertile ground for Ireland. The 2017 tour to Japan, for example, marked the emergence of Jacob Stockdale, Andrew Porter and James Ryan.

Whether or not Ireland uncover a similar calibre of player this year remains to be seen, but there appears an acknowledgement of the need to deepen the squad before Andy Farrell's return from Lions duty.

Now the work must start.

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'Evolution beckons for Ireland as legends bow out'

'We've gone from hoping to expecting'

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