Former Ireland winger and British and Irish Lion Tommy Bowe has delivered a damning assessment of his former team, saying that they have 'peaked' ahead of the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
His former teammate Johnny Sexton has announced this week that he will retire at that tournament at the age of 38, saying that he wants to go out at the top but Bowe believes that it may come too late to see the best of Sexton and Ireland.
Ireland beat the All Blacks in the autumn before being back to their best in this year's Six Nations but this could follow the pattern of the last cycle where they beat the All Blacks as well as winning a grand slam before turning up at the World Cup undercooked.
