The IRFU should see the merit in rekindling the fire with their lost love, London Irish, writes Peter O'Reilly in The Sunday Times.

"'At our Christmas party, the office staff arranged a Blind Date-style spoof to make fun of the squad. The guy who was supposed to be me kept saying ‘to be sure’.” Bob Casey’s revelation in a recent newspaper column revealed how things have changed at London Irish. The club has been a proud patch of green in South West London for more than 100 years but these days the captain is the only member of the professional side with an Irish accent.

"Certain things haven’t changed. The majority of the home supporters in Twickenham last night were either first or second generation Irish. The club’s board of directors, whose number now includes Keith Wood, are mostly Irish. So too are many of the parents of the hundreds of mini-rugby players who’ll be swarming around Sunbury this morning.

"Yet London Irish’s pro team is Irish in name only. Northampton Saints have four times as many Irishmen on their books. Check the academy section on the club website and you’ll find it’s called the London Irish (England) Rugby Academy. A club with 97 Irish internationals on its roll of honour is now paid by the RFU to produce England internationals."

Declan Kidney will soon pass judgement on his Ireland squad © Getty Images

In his column in the Irish Independent, former Ireland fly-half Tony Ward runs the rule over Declan Kidney's squad for this year's Six Nations.

“There was a time when, as those of us of a certain age recall only too well, the dreaded Final Trial represented the be-all and end-all to our international aspirations. I think I speak for most who went through that awful late December/early January Probables v Possibles ordeal when I say it was the match from hell. The one to be missed was, unfortunately, the one that couldn't be avoided. From a personal perspective, I hated it.

"Now, of course, it is a different deal entirely. Declan Kidney is blessed with final trials on a weekly basis from September through to May. The official Final Trial, per se, is now a relic of times past and Amen to that. For this professional generation, every week is a final trial of sorts.

"For Kidney it means being armed with the most reliable and up-to-date information regarding players' form ahead of selection.”

In his latest column in the Irish Times, Liam Toland reviews the autumn internationals, with a particular emphasis on Ireland's development.

"A week on and we’ve all had time to review the Kicking Series. The odds being stacked in the defences favour is the well-touted excuse. This, however, is too simplistic an explanation of the evolvement of rugby union.

"Our cousins in league have always valued the importance of defence, hence their involvement in our game. Add in the role of both the defending team at the breakdown, and then the referee and you can understand why coaches are forced into a kicking game.

"Try counts are down in all competitions. But again this should not be the barometer to our game. Five-pointers should not be allowed to dictate the rule book. TV executives will no doubt sweat the IRB into a more free-flowing game that will enhance ratings. Again this would be an error. The new breakdown rules can’t be blamed for the kicking game as way back in 2007 South Africa won the World Cup based on little else.

"Likewise, defence is not the problem. Leinster beat Harlequins back in April by one point. Leinster failed to score a try but held Harlequins out when it mattered. All the same they went on to beat Munster in the semi-final by three tries to none. Finally, they shared tries against Leicester in the final and won by kicking points. My point: Leinster were able to adapt to the opposition on three given days. Last weekend South Africa were not."

The hunger is palpable and, more than ever, you sense Ireland truly are a squad according to Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times.

"The positives outnumbered the negatives. Among the 27 players used over the two autumn games to date, 23 of whom started, there were another three debutants at Test level here. But perhaps the biggest plus was the performance of Jonathan Sexton. He did all that could have been asked, and plenty more.

"It didn’t come as a surprise that Sexton fitted seamlessly into the Irish set-up and performed with such composure and maturity. At 24, he’s had his ups and downs, and had earned this opportunity on the run of good form for months, which in itself suggested he is a pretty cool operator."

As an exercise in readying themselves for the world champions at Croke Park on Saturday, Ireland's victory over Fiji was useful enough, writes Brendan Fanning in the Irish Independent.

"The highlight for the home team was the debut of Jonny Sexton who hit seven from seven with his goal kicks, punted very well, and made a handful of clean breaks. All of which was enough to secure him the man-of-the-match award, which may well have been a unique occurrence for an Ireland debutant, Sexton kept his defensive end up as well. And now? Well, if we are to move him along then sooner rather than later then he needs to get game time against a first-world nation.

"That won't mean a start against the 'Boks at Croke Park but he needs to get on the pitch at some point because Ireland need another out-half and this boy is in form. Gordon D'Arcy too made a case for himself, and Tom Court at loose head got through a load of work around the field."

Brendan Gallagher recalls his first meeting with Brian O'Driscoll as the Ireland centre prepares for his 100th Test in The Daily Telegraph.

"That fella's the future," insisted the great man. "He will end up as the greatest ever player from this island. Come and meet Brian O'Driscoll, you will be spending half a lifetime writing about him."

“At that moment the future of Irish rugby was assaulted by a sudden blast of high-pressure therapeutic water from an unsuspected subterranean source and was sent sprawling and cursing in a manner few opponents have managed to emulate.

“A decade on – it seems considerably less – O'Driscoll is still making a splash. On Saturday, against Australia at Croke Park, he will be logging his 100th Test match, 94 for Ireland and six for the Lions. He does not really want a fuss, but there is more chance of disgraced former prime minister Charles Haughey being made a saint than this milestone not being celebrated.”

Ahead of the November Tests, four of The Guardian's rugby scribes pick their current world XVs.

"The hits may be getting bigger but class is permanent. It will be interesting, even so, to see how many of this team are still pre-eminent when the 2011 World Cup kicks off in New Zealand.

"The autumn Tests will certainly tell us more about Jamie Roberts, so influential for the Lions, and the new French captain Thierry Dusautoir. Watch out, too, for the fast-rising Irish back-rowers Stephen Ferris and Jamie Heaslip, Australia's Rocky Elsom and France's Maxime Médard."

Writing in the Irish Times, Gerry Thornley finds that as transitional periods for Ireland go this one has a good mix of new energy and experience.

"Three of the players who started against England last Saturday – Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara and John Hayes – have now played 90 Tests or more in what looks like a foot race to become the first Irish player to reach a century of caps, while a further four have a half-century to their name. Yet at the other end of the spectrum, a half-dozen of the starting line-up at Croke Park a week ago had 15 caps or less to their name.

"This gradual restructuring of the team is nothing like on the scale of the game against Scotland in 2000, when Warren Gatland made eight changes from the team beaten a fortnight before by 50-18 in Twickenham, including five new caps. Even so, there’s probably never been such an infusion of relatively new players since then, albeit over a more protracted period of time."

Writing in The Guardian, Eddie Butler is thankful for the superb showing from France and Wales on Friday night as Saturday's Six Nations offerings plumbed the depths.

"When it was announced that the Six Nations was going to hold a Friday-night party in Paris, there was a groan. Change is not always welcome in our rugby. Well, thank goodness for that nine o'clock special, the France‑Wales game that made up for one of the most woeful Saturdays of rugby in living memory.

"At least Scotland-Italy had nothing to live up to, having been billed as the wooden-spoon decider. The action was poor from the outset, but nothing was as sad as the sight of so many empty seats at Murrayfield. This was depressing rugby in a time of recession. Instead of lightening the mood, sport reflected these sombre times.

	Sergio Parisse drops a goal at Murrayfield © Getty Images

"What, for example, has happened to Mike Blair? The scrum-half, who after the autumn series was vying for the Lions No9 spot and maybe even the captaincy, had another game of hesitation and slow delivery.

"Italy, badly beaten yet again and struggling to reach the standard required for the championship – not that this Saturday did anything but lower the bar – still held in their ragged ranks the best player on display. Sergio Parisse was captain, tackler, yard-maker, inspiration and drop-goal kicker. He could not have done more."