Spanish club game ended last June and won't restart until October. Spain held a training session against Toulouse in August, but hasn't had the chance to play meaningful opponents like Ireland had in the last Six Nations since COVID started. And even that last time they lost heavily to Scotland (12-36).LadyP wrote: ↑Wed Sep 15, 2021 7:07 pm Ireland we’re always getting beat in that game, Italy and Spain played club games, Spain were the best looking team of the four , Italians are always a different team at home, Ireland are such a waste of talent, poorly coached, poor attitudes, people there for wrong reasons, people there to promote themselves, some who are not fit to wear the .
Ireland could lose to Italy, I don’t want them too, but it may be a blessing in disguise
Of course, their women enjoy the backing of their union and they have been working for two years on how to beat Ireland. They held a COVID-impacted camp in September 2020 in case qualifiers went on last November, then held a month-long bubble to play Russia and Netherlands as they expected to play Ireland last March only for the playoff to be called off... But it's more about preparing themselves for their only shot at Ireland in a decade than having played more than the Irish and therefore being less rusty.
I've read quite a few analysis that are completely wrong. It's hard to blame 7s when Spain equally has a programme in World Series. They are just as pro, semipro or amateur as Ireland. To me they are a worse team but they know it's their only chance every four years to make international rugby headlines, they live for these qualifiers. Ireland hasn't seen itself in this position for far too long and players couldn't handle it.