Rewind: Ireland 'had a ball' at 2011 RWC

The first thing that strikes you about Rotorua is the smell. The small town nestled in the Bay of Plenty on New Zealand's north island was the fourth pitstop on Ireland's 2011 World Cup campaign after stopovers in New Plymouth, Auckland and Taupo.

And for a few reporters, who were feeling the effects of a few too many late nights on tour, the odour of sulphur wafting in the air - a result of the geothermal activity in the region - was a testing experience. Rotten eggs was the general consensus when describing it.

We eventually got used to the stench. There were upsides as well. All this volcanic energy was being put to good use by the locals. Our quaint lodgings in a Sport of Kings Motel on the edge of town had free access to jacuzzis, powered by all the geothermal wonders beneath the rocks. Rotorua wasn't so bad after all.

There were good vibes in the Ireland camp, too. On and off the pitch, the tourists were having a ball. The pre-tournament stay in the stunning ski resort of Queenstown, featuring bungee-jumping, jet-boating, Fergburgers and no shortage of socialising on the town's many watering holes had provided the perfect morale boost.

But things got serious in Rotorua.

Well, for the travelling media anyway. A press vs management football match had been arranged for that week, the journalists edging a cagey contest - after a contentious penalty shootout. Head coach Declan Kidney even had a late cameo.

It was no El Clasico, but it was a further sign of how relaxed things were in camp. Such a scenario would be unimaginable these days. This reporter recalls hitching a lift back into town with assistant coaches Greg Feek and Gert Smal in the team mini-bus after a press conference.

Older colleagues who had soldiered through the depressing 2007 World Cup informed us that this was all new territory. Kidney had heeded the lessons. The former Munster head coach had got the first piece of preparation nailed on. He had created a happy and enjoyable atmosphere. Peruse the many autobiographies of retired players since and you find glowing reports of the 2011 tour of duty.

Kidney and his backroom team of Les Kiss, Smal, Alan Gaffney and Feek had got their pre-tournament selections right, too. They took a punt on a young scrum-half named Conor Murray, a greenhorn who had just burst onto the scene with Munster.

Tomás O'Leary and Luke Fitzgerald were shock omissions, but rookies like Cian Healy, Sean O'Brien and Rob Kearney were thriving. Old heads like Rory Best, Paul O'Connell and Brian O'Driscoll were fit and focused. Everything was building towards something special as a convey of camper vans followed the squad from town to town. Victory against the Italians in Dunedin the following week secured top spot in Pool C and the supposed 'easier' side of the draw opened up. A maiden semi-final was agonisingly in reach.

The shift in the mood music had been stark. Things were looking a bit grim for Kidney's squad when they touched down in the country a few weeks previously.

After a seemingly disastrous warm-up series - which included four losses to Scotland, France (twice) and England as well as a cruel late injury to David Wallace - their World Cup campaign on Kiwi soil didn't get off to the most encouraging of starts.

On a miserable night at Stadium Taranaki, Kidney's men laboured to a 22-10 win over the United States, failing to bag a precious four-try bonus point in the process. Next up was the Wallabies at Eden Park. The reigning TriNations champions were brimming with talent. Rocky Elsom, Will Genia, David Pocock, Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale were the star attractions in a team tipped to go far.

Suffice to say, Ireland were the underdogs in Auckland all week. No stone was left unturned in their preparations. Shane Jennings apparently wore a Wallabies jersey all week in training. The Leinster openside's job spec was simple: be a Pocock-like pest in order to get his teammates up to speed with dealing with the Wallabies flanker.

Imagine the boost in the dressing room a few hours to kick-off when Pocock was ruled out of the crunch pool encounter. Stephen Moore, too.

Ireland duly unleashed hell on their much-vaunted opponents. Ronan O'Gara entered the fray to fire over a few nerveless secondhalf penalties to put the game beyond reach, but the unsung heroes on the night were Healy and Mike Ross, the Irish props demolishing the Aussie pack at scrum time.

Murray was part of the second-half cavalry which sealed a memorable 15-6 win. Have Ireland had a better performance at a World Cup?

'I just remember the older lads being really emotional afterwards,' Murray, who won just his third Test cap that night, recalled earlier this week.

'I was probably a bit inexperienced and a bit naive to think that it was just going to be like that. I came into the Munster team and we won the Magners League.

'Then I got lucky enough to get into the Irish squad and it was all rosy at the time. After we beat Australia, I was buzzing but just seeing what it meant to the older players in the dressing room... it hit me.

'You could really feel how big a deal it was. I remember my mom and sister flew down and they just arrived in time for that Australia game so they got to be there and see that. And the Irish support in that part of the world was pretty crazy.'

The Russians were soon dispatched in Rotorua before an emphatic 36-6 victory over the Azzurri to seal passage to the quarter-finals. Warren Gatland's Wales lay in wait in Wellington. We all know what happened next.

The hype machine around Ireland had been dialled up to 11, but the Welsh quietly fancied their chances. The likes of Alun-Wyn Jones, Sam Warburton, Talupe Faletau, George North and Leigh Halfpenny were only beginning their careers but would soon become household names in international rugby.

For Ireland, it was a case of what might have been. Tactically, they got a few things wrong in Westpac Stadium. Once the Welsh backrow - led by the chop-tackling force of Dan Lydiate and the relentless Warburton - stopped O'Brien and Stephen Ferris at source, Ireland looked devoid of a Plan B.

Kidney and Co got the call at No10 wrong too, when a defiant but ageing O'Gara was preferred over Johnny Sexton. A few other veteran campaigners have plenty of regrets about that ill-fated contest in Wellington.

Still, for many of the players, the 2011 World Cup remains a fond memory.

'I had a ball,' Murray, who is gearing up for his fourth tournament, recalled.

'The older lads took me under their wing and sure I enjoyed myself off the pitch as well.'

It will always be the one that got away, however. Ireland had a sniff of a World Cup semi-final and ultimately blew it.