Gary Cooke meets Brendan Fanning

Ireland went to the 2023 Rugby World Cup as the number one ranked team in the world. They had a unique Test series win in New Zealand on their list of achievements; they were the reigning Grand Slam holders; and still they came home early. Getting to the last four has become an obsession. But is this the only measure of success? Brendan Fanning has been involved in rugby all of his life as a player, coach and journalist. He was rugby correspondent for the Sunday Independent for almost thirty years up until 2024 and has been reporting on the game since the mid-1980s.