Let’s be honest, World Rugby’s rankings tell a lie. It’s not the biggest lie in the world, admittedly. Just a little one. The rankings have Ireland in third place, behind South Africa and New Zealand, and ahead of France. But Ireland, in reality, are the fourth best team in the world.Back in 2023, the Rugby World Cup draw was so memorably lopsided that the four best teams met on the same weekend in the same half of the draw in two epic quarter-finals. Three years on, the same quartet occupy the top four places, but the other three have pulled away as Ireland have declined slightly from those dizzy heights.That was probably the greatest Irish team ever and one that peaked at that Rugby World Cup. Often there’s only direction from there.Where do Ireland go from here? Listen | 46:37Initially, Ireland bounced back from that heartbreaking disappointment with a 38-17 Six Nations win over a French side nursing an even bigger World Cup hangover. They then bettered that by responding to a first-Test 27-20 loss at Loftus Versfeld with a dramatic 25-24 win in Durban against a Springboks side locked and loaded with World Cup winners.But since then, Ireland have lost six matches out of six against the other countries in that top quartet, beginning with a 23-13 loss to New Zealand on an anticlimactic Friday night at the Aviva Stadium. There followed a convincing French win at the Aviva when Fabien Galthié unloaded a 7-1 bench, last November’s bloodless coup by the All Blacks in Chicago, the Springboks’ scrum bloodletting at the Aviva, the Thursday night Six Nations opener in Paris and Saturday’s 40-21 Nations Championship loss in Auckland.The final margins have varied from 10 to 22 points, at an average of 15 points per defeat. In other words, by more than two scores per game. Is that a gap or a gulf? It’s certainly the former and looks, at the very least, to be a significant pattern.Saturday’s defeat also appears, at face value, to be uncannily similar to the first Test in 2022 at the venue when the All Blacks also scored six tries to Ireland’s three in a 42-19 win. Then, as now, there were areas where one could readily see Ireland improve within a week, and they duly won the second Test by 23-12 in Dunedin and the third by 32-22 in Wellington.That truly historic comeback series win in New Zealand imbued that Irish team with the confidence and belief to embark upon an unprecedented 17-match winning streak. It incorporated a Grand Slam, only the fourth, and a rise to number one in the world. Join our Irish Times Rugby WhatsApp communityGet the best of our writing in the Irish Times rugby community. Photograph: Henry Simpson/Inpho Join our Irish Times Rugby WhatsApp community and get our best rugby writing sent directly to your messages inbox. From provincial news to coverage of Ireland’s inaugural Nations Championship campaign, you won’t miss an update. Join here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DaV5S7cDxWF0xDDILjarcwHowever, had last Saturday’s one-off Test been the first in a three-match series again, it would be harder to envisage this Irish team emulating the class of 2022. After all, this was also a fourth successive defeat against New Zealand. The Irish rising in this “rivalry” has been quelled.This team is not without its qualities, not least its togetherness and willingness to stay in the fight, as demonstrated in the 33-31 win over the Wallabies in Sydney. Their launch plays remain strong, although just when it seemed as their phased attack had rediscovered some of its old precision, along came last Saturday’s first-half spillages and loose passes, with even Jamison Gibson-Park culpable.That was particularly true of that silly and wholly uncharacteristic exit try to Will Jordan in the immediate aftermath of Jack Conan’s try bringing Ireland back into the game. That felt like it killed any chance of Ireland winning, and this team is better than that.Will Jordan scores New Zealand's third try against Ireland on Saturday. Photograph: Brett Phibbs/INPHO That said, the All Blacks also appeared to be running on to the ball harder and from more depth. Ireland seemed much flatter to the line and thus their catch-pass was comparatively static at times.Four years ago, the All Blacks seemed to benefit from every bounce of the ball, whereas last Saturday they benefited from some atrocious officiating by Nic Berry and his team. The All Blacks should have been down 14 men from the 28th minute, and 13 for 10 of those. They certainly should have been reduced to 14 players for half an hour instead of a risible 10 minutes for one act of foul play and a one-handed intercept that all season long has been a clear-cut yellow card.For Berry and his officials to deduce that James Ryan’s body movement was some form of mitigation in Luke Jacobson catching Josh van der Flier with his upper arm was hard to comprehend.The yellow card/20-minute red card sanction has, as expected, led to a cop out for officials and undermined World Rugby’s campaign to make the game safer. That Jacobson has not been cited is hard to comprehend.World Rugby’s main stance this past two weeks has been to silence coaches and prevent discussion around their officials by banning Argentina coach Gonzalo Quesada for two weeks. It’s pathetic.That said, it’s worth recalling that Jacobson’s sinbinning still gave Ireland a lifeline when the All Blacks were pressing hard to extend their 14-0 lead and had a penalty advantage.Four years ago, Irish players were held up over the line three times. Fewer try-scoring chances went begging last Saturday, although it would have been nice to see Hugo Keenan give Robert Baloucoune a pass around the half-hour mark in the wake of Jacobsen being binned. Some high achievers from 2022 remain, such as Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Conan, van der Flier and Gibson-Park. Joe McCarthy has come through and now Sean Jansen, while Stuart McCloskey, Baloucoune and Nick Timoney have blossomed.Bundee Aki is still there, too, albeit at 36 he is not quite the force of nature he was when almost single-handedly dragging Ireland back into the Rugby World Cup quarter-final with a sensational try. And, of course, there’s no Johnny, while James Lowe’s X-factor has been coldly cast adrift.Ireland's Sam Prendergast reacts to the final whistle. Photograph: Ben Brady/INPHO Sam Prendergast grew into last Saturday’s game and overall has had a good tour with which to end a rollercoaster of a season, even if there have been mistakes. But there always will be, given the way he plays.He’s still younger than Sexton was when he made his debut and now has 16 caps under his belt. There’s also Jack Crowley back at home injured, with Joey Carbery to re-enter the picture.Ireland were also without their three first-choice looseheads, although the scrum and lineout both went well in Eden Park. The athleticism of Ryan Baird, especially on defensive lineouts, would make a difference as, of course, would Caelan Doris.In addition to Crowley, Ireland were also missing the pace on the edge of Tommy O’Brien; and in the hope that Mack Hansen returns from injury at least as good if not better, his skill set, vision and athleticism would add another dimension to this team.Hansen and others will hopefully all be part of the mix when Ireland kick off the northern Nations Championship series with a massive game on November 6th against Argentina, potential World Cup quarter-final opponents.And therein lies another factor. Aside from being the de-facto fourth best side in the world, Ireland have a posse of ferociously hungry, well-resourced, talented teams clambering to overtake them, especially England, and Scotland, Argentina and Australia.England have proper frontrow power, a wrecking ball in George Martin, a classy outhalf in Fin Smith and serious athleticism and X-factor in Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Scotland are on the up. Argentina will flourish in a World Cup and so could the Wallabies on home soil.At the halfway point in the Nations Championship, Ireland have slipped to fourth in the northern hemisphere table on 10 points behind England (on points difference), Scotland on 11 and France, who are now in pole position, on 12. Les Bleus have the same home fixtures as Ireland, having outperformed Andy Farrell’s side against the All Blacks in Christchurch when securing two bonus points. In truth, they were at a different level against the Wallabies too.Just like Ireland in round six, France have to host the Springboks in round five. But even if topping the northern hemisphere table and earning a place in the Twickenham final proves beyond Ireland, results in the Nations Championship and Six Nations will matter in the short term and in the context of the Rugby World Cup.A crack at a title would be welcome. This team needs silverware in its own right.gerry.thornley@irishtimes.com