"They've definitely got some aging players, and Andy Farrell will see this as a big challenge to turn that tide this time."

Ireland must find a way to transfer their historic mid-World Cup-cycle form to World Cup form.

Previous failings to do so, says Warren Gatland, are responsible for that notorious green-glass RWC ceiling.

That often-scoffed-at inability to push past a quarter-final in the past.

Ireland boss Andy Farrell must address this and flush out players who are not aging well.

And, as importantly, have contingency plans in place for injuries if he wants to succeed.

"When you look back at World Cups, two years out Ireland has been one of the best teams.

"But they have kind of always been in a mid-cycle and then they'll pick up injuries or players get a little past their best by the time it arrives.

"This have brought a huge amount of expectation on them in the past. They expected to do well in France in 2023 and, unfortunately, they came up short.

"They've definitely got some aging players, and Andy Farrell will see this as a big challenge to turn that tide this time.

Those on the 'aging' side include Bundee Aki, Finlay Bealham, Jamison Gibson-Park, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Tadhg Furlong, Josh van der Flier, Robbie Henshaw and Stuart McCloskey all of whom have passed their 33rd birthday.

"Andy knows those players well. The hard call is deciding who to keep for experience and leadership versus when to change.

"He's an excellent communicator and motivator, and he has high expectations to perform well and be successful.

"There is also a lot of expectation from the Irish public and media because they've been incredibly successful outside of World Cups, which has been great for Irish rugby and for the sport.

"This puts a lot of pressure on them - if they can get to a semi-final, that'll be seen as a huge achievement, a massive success."

Ireland face Argentina (Nov 6), Fiji (Nov 14), South Africa (Nove 14) in Dublin with a further Nations Championship crossover final game at Twickenham.

And Farrell's Ireland must make a definitive decision ahead of the South Africa game in November .

Do they want to do a number on the 'Boks, remind them how good Ireland can be - or is it better to give some younger players the experience of playing the game.

"If you want to send a statement out to everyone for the next twelve months, that could be absolutely massive.

"The Northern Hemisphere teams want to get some results against the big teams, particularly at home.

"You don't want South Africa and New Zealand going unbeaten. You definitely want some scalps but it depends on the philosophy.

"Are you going out to win it all, or are you using the chance to develop a bit of depth in the squad and give youngsters a run?"

Sam Prendergast, insists Gatland, can prosper in the absence of the injured Jack Crowley.

This could be the youngster's time and his critics might need to think again.

"At some stage you have to make a decision, but you still want to keep both players at a level in terms of getting game time.

"Then, just in case you pick up an injury, they've got Ciaran Frawley as well.

"People are writing Prendergast off a little bit at the moment.

"He burst onto the scene, no one knew who he was, played some great games, and then got thrown in there and probably didn't perform as well as he would have wanted.

"But that'll make him better, that'll make him stronger mentally as he gets older. You learn from that adversity."

There is also much to admire about Jack Crowley albeit he is injured and not expected to return until Christmas/New Year.

"Crowley has that Munster hard-nosed toughness. He had some disappointments, came back, and played really well.

"It'll be interesting to see how they go in the autumn and the Six Nations.

"It's a position that takes a little time to really grow into, usually around your mid-to-late twenties, when you have the maturity to control a game and put disappointments behind you."

Gatland further says he would like to coach the Lions again having first gone on the 2009 tour to South Africa as Forwards Coach under Ian McGeechan.

Appointed Head coach for Australia 2013, the Lions won the series 2-1; reappointed Head Coach for New Zealand 2017, the series ended in a draw; he retained the job South for Africa 2021 winning the series 2-1.

"If you had that opportunity, yeah, you'd like to do it but Andy Farrell has done a good job, he's won a series, so depending on how Ireland goes, you could see him doing it again."

"I’d like to coach the Lions again but Andy Farrell won a series and I can see him doing it again - it's massive, yeah.

"I loved it. It is hard. I've noticed recently there's a lot of focus on the relationship with the media, and winning has become so important.

"I have this romantic view of the Lions-that it's a celebration of the game and the history. Every twelve years you go to one of these countries and play.

"We should always keep in mind how important a Lions tour is to the host country financially, and we should just celebrate the game.

"We've seen in recent tours a lot of off-field stuff and behaviour that hasn't been the best."