“Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.” So said Edwin Markham, the poet. And as the Irish defeat yet another ranked opponent by more than 20 points, climbing yet higher in the rankings themselves, perhaps it’s appropriate to ask whether a one-point loss to Georgia was better than a two-point victory that night. For truly, it served to shake the team, and their triumphs since then have indeed been glorious; but would they be in the same place today had they ...
