What ever happened to the luck of the Irish?

AGONISINGLY close to the pointy end of the tournament, one of the World Cup’s top prospects has taken the cake as the most unlucky side in the game.

CARDIFF, WALES - OCTOBER 11: Paul O'Connell of Ireland reacts as he receives medical treatment during the 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D match between France and Ireland at Millennium Stadium on October 11, 2015 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

THE attrition of the Rugby World Cup is beginning to take its toll on the top nations as we head into the pointy end of the competition.

However, no one side has been more affected by the brutality of this year’s tournament than the Irish.

While the spotlight was on Wales leading into the competition, with the loss of goalkicker Leigh Halfpenny among others, Ireland now stands as the most wounded of soldiers, losing at least three players from the starting side that took the field against France on Sunday.

With courageous captain Paul O’Connell ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a hamstring injury, Ireland will now also be without bustling flanker Sean O’Brien for their quarter-final match against Argentina, after the 41-Test veteran was slapped with a one-match ban for striking French lock Pascal Pape.

Despite the flanker’s clean record and significant mitigating factors, as well as an obvious attempt to milk the strike from Pape, O’Brien still received the minimum half of the disciplinary ban.

Ireland will really feel the loss of damaging ball runner Sean O’Brien.

Adding further damage to the forward pack, back-rower Peter O’Mahony has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with a knee injury also sustained in their game against France.

And with injury clouds still hanging over the heads of star fly-half Jonny Sexton and former British and Irish Lions squad member Keith Earls, the Shamrocks could be set to lose a third of their starting side following Sunday’s match.

With injuries to such key players, Ireland’s World Cup dream appears to be hanging in the balance.

You only need to look at Ireland’s road to the Cup to understand the enormity of the damage suffered by the current third-best team in the world.

Coming off the back of their second consecutive Six Nations title in March this year, Ireland sat ahead of Australia as the No. 3-ranked side, even staking a claim for second spot in mid-August.

And despite dropping a game to Wales and England just weeks before the global tournament began, the Irish were among a select few that looked as though they could challenge the All Blacks for the Webb Ellis Cup.

Ireland were in peak form following their second consecutive Six Nations championship.

Following their Six nations victory, Mick Cleary of The Telegraphwent as far as to dub the side likely World Cup champions.

“You do have not to be a great side to lift the Webb Ellis trophy but you do have to be highly efficient: merciless in defence, ruthless in accumulating points, on-song and on-message throughout the tournament,” Cleary wrote.

“Ireland are that alright, a band of brothers in emerald green, marching to the beat of their coach, Joe Schmidt.”

Leading into the England-based competition, Ireland were thought to have had a stronger chance to progress to the semi-finals, and even the final, than ever before.

Former Test skipper Keith Wood voiced this notion to Fairfax Media, and believed the Shamrocks could progress further than a quarter-finals berth.

“We’ve a history of winning, which we didn’t in 2003 (World Cup). We’ve a history of winning one-off games. Now we’ve back-to-back (Six Nations) championships,” Wood said.

“I think we’ve a really good coach, a really good team. It’s realistic to think we’ll go further than we have before.”

Sexton’s face says it all for Ireland. Gutted.

It is the high expectation of the Northern Hemisphere side that makes their injury toll all the more painful.

The loss of 108-Test second rower Paul O’Connell stands as a monumental blow. One of the best in the world in his position, O’Connell forms the backbone of a hardened Irish forward pack, which will undoubtedly be without its usual fire when Ireland face Argentina at Millennium Stadium on Sunday.

If Jonny Sexton is also ruled out, his side’s chances to progress further in the competition will diminish rapidly.

It now seems that a side on the verge of cementing their spot among the pinnacle of world rugby may have their World Cup dream cut short by a series of incredibly unfortunate injuries, a dubious suspension and a diving Frenchman.

While they still have the opportunity to create one of the greatest survival stories in the game, for this World Cup at least, the luck has certainly not been with the Irish.