Getting to the last four of the World Cup has become a national obsession. But is this the only measure of success? In Touching Distance, Brendan Fanning, one of the game’s most authoritative voices, shines a piercing light on every corner of the Irish rugby system, from grassroots to green jersey, illuminating the fine lines and thin margins between success and failure.
From the breakthrough years of Eddie O’Sullivan to men of massive influence like Joe Schmidt and Stuart Lancaster, with David Nucifora – the first tsar of Irish rugby in the pro era – through to Andy Farrell, the man in whom Irish fans’ hopes now rest, no stone is left unturned in Fanning’s revealing and absorbing narrative.
With the clock already counting down to the 2027 World Cup in Australia, where are Ireland on their quest for the top? And is glory finally within reach?
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. From There to Here, the definitive account of Ireland’s transition from amateur to professional rugby, was published to critical acclaim. He also wrote Crossing the Line, the bestselling autobiography of Willie Anderson.
