There should be no quarter asked when celebrating this era

THEY call it a curse - but curses don’t beat New Zealand five times in nine years.

- BY GARRY DOYLE

Ireland's so-called World Cup ‘hoodoo’ is the biggest myth in modern rugby - a lazy soundbite that ignores a quarter century of excellence.

Yes, they've never reached a semifinal.

And yes, Brian O'Driscoll (inset) called them “a laughing stock” for failing to do so.

But here’ the truth: the world isn't laughing anymore.

The world is losing to us.

You see, Ireland aren't failure:

They've built something bigger than one tournament — a rugby nation that wins everywhere, beats everyone, and keeps rewriting history.

Because this century, Ireland have been better than almost all those nations with token semifinal appearances and little else.

Let's start at the beginning of the century.

Paris, 2000. First Irish win there since 1972. Since then, 11 more victories over France.

Australia, 2002. First triumph over the Wallabies since 1979.

They've now beaten this week's opposition seven times in their most recent nine Tests.

South Africa, 2004. First win over the Springboks in 39 years. They've taken six of the last nine against the Springboks.

These weren't one-offs. They are a pattern. Historical impossibilities turned into routine wins.