Ireland hit a speed bump in their final preparations for the Rugby World, after their rise to an all-time-high No.2 on the World Rugby rankings. The two-time defending Six Nations champions had been cruising along, having defeated Scotland and Wales to take their record to 15 wins in 17 Tests since the post-siren defeat by New Zealand in November 2013. But then came disappointingly comprehensive defeats by Wales and England, in Dublin and London respectively, a drop to No.3 on the world rankings, and then to No.6; Ireland and their fans now, suddenly, are not looking forward to the tournament with quite so much anticipation.

Ireland almost certainly were flattered by their ranking at No.2, behind the All Blacks; equally No.6 seemingly does not do them justice, and the team and their supporters are right to consider England 2015 is their best shot yet at a Rugby World Cup glory.

"Ireland's come a long way," former Waratahs, Leinster and Ireland flanker Keith Gleeson told ESPN. "Don't forget, they were slow to adopt professionalism, so where most sides had moved towards professionalism in the late 1990s, early 2000s, it really took Ireland another couple of years to get their act together.

"Probably what was disappointing for them was the last World Cup, in New Zealand in 2011. To go out in a quarter-final against Wales, a side they should have beaten ... they really should have gone to their first semi-final in the last World Cup.

Joe Schmidt © PA Photos

Enlarge

Gleeson, who returned to Australia after retiring from rugby, having won 27 caps for Ireland and playing in the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, said, however, that the disappointment of New Zealand 2011 had been a catalyst for the team's improvement.

"They've just built and built on it. They've got a really good pipeline of players coming through. They've got an excellent coach in Joe Schmidt, and he's probably been the real catalyst; he was very successful with Leinster when he took over there, and certainly with Ireland now, he's a very intelligent and a very shrewd coach and he understands how to get the best out of his players.

"So a combination of factors puts Ireland in with a very good chance this World Cup. They have the ability to beat the top teams on their day, but whether they have the depth in players and numbers yet to be able to play seven Tests over seven consecutive weekends, we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

The arrival of Schmidt is seen by many as the turning point in Ireland's upward trajectory towards the World Cup. Schmidt succeeded now-Wallabies coach Michael Cheika at Leinster, and promptly won the Heineken European Cup twice and a Pro12 title in his three years. A win rate nearing 80% made him an attractive option for the Irish Rugby Football Union, and he took possession of the national clipboard once Declan Kidney had been ushered out after a less-than-ideal 2013 Six Nations.

Gleeson thinks Schmidt's success goes beyond all the silverware and the win rate, though.

"What I always like about great coaches is that they can get the best out of talented squads. I think Ireland has a very talented squad, and Schmidt - as luck has it - has been the right man for the right occasion.

© 2015 Getty Images/2015 Getty Images

"The word on the street, when I speak to family and friends back there, is that Ireland as a nation is very excited about this World Cup, but at the same time, they're trying not to get too far ahead of themselves. They know that you've got to get out of your pool, and you've got to get out of your pool and not pick up too many big injuries along the way, and then you take a quarter-final and a semi-final as a one-off game.

"But certainly Schmidt has brought a lot of intelligence to the way Ireland play rugby. He moved them away from being a very static game, a very European kick-and-maul-type game, to very much a running team that knows that if the conditions are poor - which happens in Europe - then we need to revert back to a field position-style game."

Gleeson believes Ireland should be favourites to top Pool D, while acknowledging the threat presented by France and the "proverbial banana peel" game from Italy. Gleeson says Ireland's motivation to top Pool D is the simple shared game plan for many nations: "avoiding New Zealand!"

Should Ireland drop a pool game and finish second in Pool D, that would catapult them into a quarter-final against the winner of Pool C, most likely to be ... yes, New Zealand. Topping Pool D is crucial.

The key for Ireland, as Gleeson sees it, is for that core group of international-quality players to carry on through the tournament and to be fit and firing in unison. Full-back Rob Kearney, fly-half Jonny Sexton, No.8 Jamie Heaslip, flanker Sean O'Brien, and prop Cian Healy all loom as crucial cogs in Ireland's campaign. As does their inspirational lock and skipper Paul O'Connell.

"Every great team tends to be built around a dominant figure in the forward pack, and certainly for Ireland in the last few years, O'Connell has been that figure" Gleeson says. "Whether he's putting an immense amount of pressure on the opposition players, whether he's putting an immense amount of pressure on the referee, whether he is simply keeping cool head amongst his troops; you need that.

"And I mean, if Ireland were to lose Paul O'Connell ... the two players Ireland can least afford to lose are O'Connell and Jonny Sexton. And if O'Connell was to go down injured, it would be a big, big hole to fill. As good a job as Brian O'Driscoll did captaining Ireland from outside centre, you really need a dominant personality in the thick of it, and O'Connell has been that figurehead; the guy to pull everything together."

Gleeson believes Ireland can certainly give the tournament a proper shake if they are able to regain their Six Nations title-winning form. Their set-piece will need to be excellent, their ball-carriers devastating, and their breakdown relentless. But all of that is certainly possible. And if that platform is steady, Jonny Sexton "pulling the strings" from behind, with his tactical kicking game and classy distribution, will be the key. As will one other very important factor.

"Every team needs luck on the day," Gleeson said.

"Australia in both 1991 and 1999 had luck fall their way, and they made the most of their opportunities along the way. That's the luck you need; avoid New Zealand, and get your key players through in a relatively healthy state. And then it's game on for everyone."