Keith Earls dives over for his second try at Croke Park © Getty Images

Vincent Hogan salutes Ireland's economy of effort following their latest Six Nations success in The Irish Independent.

"In Galilee, they'd have put Declan Kidney in charge of weddings. We've no desire to blaspheme here, but that 'Miracle in Cana' business has, of late, been getting plagiarised by 15 men in green. If it's not quite a water-into-wine thing going down, Ireland's redemptive Six Nations charge has still got people checking replays for tricks of the light.

"How do they do it? For two games running now, they've let the opposition have the ball as if it's making a ticking sound. Then, sporadically, they grab it back and serenade us all with lovely little trumpet lines of creation.

"The possession and territory stats tell us that Ireland should be in crisis. On Saturday, Wales spent precisely twice as much time in Irish territory during the second half as we did in theirs. In total, the visitors won twice as much ball in open play and completed 187 passes to Ireland's 109. Yet, from the slew of red advances, what exactly did they reap? Nothing."

Brian O'Driscoll leads Ireland out for his 100th cap © Getty Images

Brendan Fanning salutes Brian O'Driscoll following his 100th cap for Ireland and cannot understate his importance in The Irish Independent.

"At 2.32 yesterday, a few minutes behind schedule, Brian O'Driscoll entered the arena a few metres in front of his team-mates and 81,340 people stood to salute him. His 100th cap for Ireland and his 106th Test match - it is a unique achievement in Irish rugby history by a unique player.

"When it was over and Ireland had sorted Wales yet again, O'Driscoll will have been happy that he was able to leave the field in one piece, having made a modest contribution to the win. It's not often you would say that about him. His commitment was typical but his radar was out by a few degrees. And yet had he been forced off before Wales had been put to bed it would have changed the mood of the place. Not because it was his special day, more like it would have been like leaving the house unlocked.

"Last week a Welshman, interested in how Ireland went from being also-rans to a nation that frequently runs over the top of Wales, asked us a pertinent question: "How important was O'Driscoll in Ireland getting to where they are now?"

The Irish Independent's Vincent Hogan pays tribute to the peerless Brian O'Driscoll, who will make his 100th Test appearance for Ireland on Saturday.

"HIS first cap. He has forgotten many things, but not Ben Tune and how the world seemed to grow small around the big Wallaby that day in Brisbane.

"Brian O'Driscoll had gone to Australia fixated on Tim Horan, the best centre in the world and a guy he would, 11 years later, nominate as the greatest player he ever faced. But Horan all but fluttered compared to his team-mates in '99.

"Maybe he just got sucked into the worry of the day. Now, he can let an occasion float over him like familiar music, but O'Driscoll was 20 that evening in Ballymore; a tough, game kid who had yet to even play for his province.

"And part of him wondered if he might be about to snap like a brittle branch in a gale."

Vincent Hogan prepares himself for the latest bout of mud slinging from Warren Gatland in the build up to Ireland and Wales' Six Nations showdown in The Irish Independent.

”Well. I wonder what gentle incendiaries Warren Gatland has lined up for us this week. All may appear pleasant and tranquil right now, but it wouldn't be Ireland v Wales if Warren wasn't planning to throw his jacket on the ground and invite half the country outside to answer for some imagined slight.

“So, what will it be this time? Or, more pointedly, who? Gatland has a problem with Irish rugby in the way Michael O'Leary has a problem with the Dublin Airport Authority. He feels that business between them has been soured by a toxic, personal agenda which, I'm afraid, makes him snappy as a menopausal warthog.

“And just about as rational. In 2008, he played his 'et tu, Brute' card against Eddie O'Sullivan. Last year, he went after the Irish players with his peaceable "Wales dislike Ireland more than any other team" address.”

England manager Martin Johnson holds court with the English media at their palacial Surrey base in 2008 © Getty Images

Hugh Farrelly reflects on his Six Nations travels with his latest piece for the Irish Independent.

"Low points have included the decision to try pork scratchings in London on a 'when in Rome' basis (tooth-crackingly hard on the outside, a stomach-heaving mush of fat on the inside, they are the snack of choice for Hitler, Saddam and the boys in the pub of the damned).

"Earning the howled indignation of a Parisien taxi driver when a tired and emotional colleague insisted on sleeping with his head in your lap was another unpleasant, and misconstrued, moment. (Tipping in these circumstances is not easy, particularly when your man bag adds to the confusion.) However, the high point thus far was unquestionably the Twickenham press box last weekend.

"The English rugby media are, individually, some of the best and friendliest in the business. Collectively, it can be hard to avoid the sense -- from certain quarters -- of being regarded as country bumpkins mixing with the aristocracy. Tug your forelock, snaffle a few leftover pies and take your seat ... happy to be here, sir. It makes victory all the sweeter but, completely outnumbered, you cannot overtly express that sense of satisfaction, so you catch the eyes of your fellow bumpkins and use a wink or a clenched fist to get it across."

Writing in the Irish Times, Gavin Cummiskey discusses the pending Irish Rugby Football Union's governance and operations review into Connacht Rugby.

"A major problem for Connacht is the consistently poor attendance record at their Sportsground stronghold, in contrast to healthy five-figure crowds that the other provinces attract to their home games. The average Magners League attendance for the 2009-10 season at the Sportsground is 1,900, and this was cushioned by the 2,435 who turned up for the comprehensive defeat to Ulster last September.

"...Speaking to The Irish Times last month, IRFU chief executive Philip Browne addressed the concerns surrounding Connacht’s financial situation: “The bottom line is the gate receipts and attendances. That’s where finance comes form – commercial programmes and attendances. Munster are drawing from two cities. Leinster are obviously drawing from the major population centre on the island, Ulster from the second major population centre, so it is difficult.

“The issue is that with professional rugby, ultimately, success is largely depended on having a commercial proposition,” Browne continued."

There is something symbolic about the appointment of Eric Elwood as Connacht coach according to the Irish Times' Kevin Duggan.

"Even as the IRFU concludes a review of the Connacht branch and confirmation that contracts of both players and management are to be limited to one year, the future of the west of Ireland set-up seems to be entering another critical phase.

"Enter Elwood, a Galway city boy and always the embodiment of the higher possibilities for Connacht rugby, as he was one of the few who made it to the pinnacle of the sport while rarely straying from his base in the Sportsground. Elwood’s excellence made heads turn west. The hope will be he can repeat that trick in his new role. A hugely popular figure in Connacht sport, Elwood’s appointment comes as the province resume their Magners League campaign against Glasgow tomorrow night and prepare for a quarter-final in the European Challenge Cup."

Ronan O'Gara - still the man? © Getty Images

David Kelly goes through the selection problems facing Ireland coach Declan Kidney ahead of his side's Six Nations meeting with England at Twickenham in The Irish Independent.

"When Rory Best yesterday referred to the "shock to the system" which rippled through the Irish squad in the aftermath of their first defeat in 15 months, he was probably only skating the surface of the trauma now affecting the Irish selectors ahead of today's team announcement.

"Already thieved of experienced players like Denis Leamy, Luke Fitzgerald, Jerry Flannery and Rob Kearney and hungry players such as Sean O'Brien and Donnacha Ryan, serious form issues now surround others, including Ronan O'Gara, Paul O'Connell, David Wallace, John Hayes and Tomas O'Leary.

"How Declan Kidney reacts to a variety of dilemmas will shine a revealing light on how the coach deals with the biggest test of his international career. Should he force his hand or maintain faith in his players after merely one, albeit headline-grabbing, setback? That the problems run from back to front indicate the extent of head-scratching that will have accompanied those dwindling candles burning long into the night at the squad's Killiney HQ."

Jonathan Sexton was in fine form for Leinster as they defeated the Scarlets © Getty Images

Jonathan Sexton's performance as Leinster defeated the Scarlets was a timely reminder to Ireland coach Declan Kidney according to The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly.

"On the night Lady Gaga was wowing the O2, the piped music across town at the RDS was suitably contemporary and upbeat, but 'London Calling' would have been the most appropriate tune given next weekend's Twickenham tilt.

"Leinster copper-fastened their top-four status in the Magners League table (with a game in hand) following Saturday night's rusty, if comprehensive, win over the Scarlets. But, while that fact will justifiably afford coach Michael Cheika a fair degree of satisfaction (tempered by the fractured leg suffered by Sean O'Brien), the imperatives of getting the Irish rugby team back on track against England next weekend meant the primary interest was in the individual auditions as a clutch of Leinstermen bid to turn blue to green.

"Chief among them was out-half Jonathan Sexton, whose man-of-the-match, 22-point display was a powerful statement ahead of tomorrow's Ireland team announcement."

Former Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan assesses the impact of Ireland's defeat to France ahead of the trip to Twickenham in The Irish Independent.

"It is very difficult to even begin to describe the feeling the Irish players would have woken up to last Sunday morning in Paris. The fatigue and tiredness would have been more draining, the knocks and bruises more painful. But most of all, a sick feeling in the pit of their stomachs, that will linger there until tomorrow's assembly for the England game.

"Root canal surgery, without the anaesthetic, would have been more appealing than beginning the long trek home to begin the autopsy on the game. With expectations being so high on the way to Paris the feeling of disappointment would have been all the more acute on the way back.

"This Irish team is now in a strange place. They had been undefeated in their previous 12 games and in the process bagged a Grand Slam, Triple Crown, wins over Argentina and South Africa, while rising to fourth in the IRB rankings. Losing is a relatively new experience for most of these players."

Hugh Farrelly has some key points for consideration in the wake of Ireland's defeat to France in The Irish Independent

“For a small sporting country, we're not slow to get the knives out. Saturday's 33-10 defeat has provoked an intense, knee-jerk reaction but while it's far from push-the-panic-button time, there are suddenly issue to address and new territory for Declan Kidney to traverse.

“It is not the defeat per se - the unbeaten run could not go on forever - it was the manner of it. Ireland were lined up and summarily executed, something that Kidney has not encountered in his professional career.

“While Kidney's men made a strong start and had scoring opportunities which could have altered the trend of the game, there were passages of play where France appeared to be operating in a different sphere.”

Battered and Bruised, Ireland need to 'get back on the horse' © Getty Images

Tony Ward believes that the halfback duo of Eoin Reddan and Jonathan Sexton are banging on the door of Ireland boss Decland Kidney in The Irish Independent.

"If there was one of Eddie O'Sullivan's frequently quoted expressions I used to loathe, it was the one following defeat - which, to be fair, wasn't that often - about getting back up on the horse.

"The head coach would say it in flash interviews post-match. And then his players and back-up staff would repeat it ad nauseam.Well, if the performance in Paris took us back to dim times past, then I must take a leaf out of O'Sullivan's book and state that it is, indeed, time to get back on the horse.

"There is no other option. A good team did not become bad on the back of one under-par performance, but, nonetheless, a winning team has had its confidence severely dented by Saturday's French fall."

Writing in the Irish Independent, former England star Will Greenwood muses that Brian O'Driscoll's legacy as a rugby legend will only be complete when he leads Ireland to a win over a southern hemisphere superpower.

"Some men define their country and its style of rugby. Martin Johnson has his brand of unapologetic English obstinacy. For French flair how about Phillipe Sella or Serge Blanco. Wales had Jonathan Davies and Scotland Finlay Calder.

"In the southern hemisphere, say Sean Fitzpatrick, Ruben Kruger and Tim Horan and you know exactly what you will get. But for Ireland, it was always a little harder. Don't get me wrong, they had some great players, just not one of whom you could say conclusively “that's Irish rugby.”

"Men such as Keith Wood had that hard edge when wearing the Lions jersey, an intense presence that never let up. In the backs, the great Brendan Mullin showed the lovely flat-out balance that will stand any test of time. But no one combined it all to showcase the full-on, ferocious beauty that Irish rugby can achieve.

"Well, no one until Brian O'Driscoll last year. After a decade of trying, he finally brought home the silverware, and with it he came as close as anyone to becoming the quintessential Irish player. "

David Kelly revisits Ireland's thrilling victory over France in 2000 in The Irish Independent.

"On the morning of March 19, 2000, France presumed there was only one star in Irish rugby. According to the match programme, at least, Keith Wood was he. How wrong. Several hours later, a new star would be born.

"Paris in the spring had never wrought so much romance for the Irish.Fast forward a bit later, to the self-same Wood - standing astride the green sward where, for the first time in 28 years, Irish blood, sweat and tears were at last spilled for due reward - regaling the Irish hordes who are, disbelievingly, singing 'The Fields' in true celebration.

"Très content!" roars Wood into a French TV microphone. "Très fatigué! Up Ireland!"

Hugh Farrelly runs the rule over Ireland's selection for the opening game of the Six Nations in The Irish Independent.

"Declan Kidney's intriguing team selection in Killiney yesterday saw a first cap for Kevin McLaughlin, the return of 25-year-old, 25-times capped 'veteran' Andrew Trimble and a flurry of conspiracy theories, most of them centring around Ronan O'Gara's inclusion at out-half in place of the injured Jonathan Sexton.

"The phrase 'mind-games' got a lot of airtime amid the media throng's frenzied analysis of Kidney's pick-and-mix machinations. However, once the decision was made to allow Sexton and flanker Stephen Ferris time to recover from dead-leg and knee injuries respectively (10 days ahead of the trip to Paris), this was a selection typical of the Grand Slam-securing supremo's capacity for pragmatic fluidity.

"It is a team to keep people on their toes, exploring new and returning options, and one that arrives laden down with brain-chewing questions..."

Ireland coach Declan Kidney - a modest leader © Getty Images

Brendan Fanning gets up close and personal to Ireland's inspirational coach Declan Kidney in The Irish Independent.

"At 9.21am, 39 minutes ahead of the appointed time, Declan Kidney texts to suggest a change of venue. He reckons the original choice is very busy and the alternative will be quieter. Hmm. What's he up to? How does he know it's busy - he's still at home isn't he? Has he rung ahead? More like trying to wreck my head. It's started already.

"I've arrived just as the text lands and check the place out. Sure enough there's a vets' convention - animal doctors not war veterans - and there's a fair bit of activity about the place. As it happens though we've rung the night before and the duty manager says the bar will be closed at that hour and he'll open it specially. Text back saying it's fine. He responds: 'Okay.' Not 'grand - see you there'. Just okay.

"He arrives bang on time looking cheery and making small talk. Warm handshake and a minute or two settling in as we rearrange the coffee and scones around the table. Then we get on with the next phase of the operation."

Ulster and Ireland winger Andrew Trimble talks to the Irish Times' Johnny Watterson about a year in the rugby wilderness and rediscovering a renewed focus and appetite for the game.

"After a year in the wilderness, Trimble has had time to watch. In his own mind it has been too much time, enough at least to put him on the outside looking in. He watched Ulster slip and slide throughout last season and, most hurtful of all, watched the Ireland team that he had once been part of charge to a Grand Slam without him.

"Declan Kidney had little choice but to leave him out of contention and Trimble didn’t quibble. After a series of injuries, he had lost the power in his legs. His starting place with the province was in doubt.

"The confidence evaporated and his game spiralled downwards. He ended up watching Ireland’s final championship match against Wales at home with his brother-in-law. By then the lack of confidence was hurtling towards full-blown doubt."

Munster prop Marcus Horan talks to the Irish Independent's David Kelly as he plots a return to the Ireland team - starting with Ireland A'c clash with the England Saxons.

"It says much about the often ambiguous relationship Irish rugby supporters have with their heroes that Marcus Horan's welcome return to the provincial fray last weekend was at once greeted with affectionate acclaim and chilly condescension.

"There were those -- a tumultuous majority, it has to be said -- for whom Horan's comeback from a minor heart procedure undertaken before Christmas was a boon for a flagging front-row, and a harbinger of good fortune as the serious rugby business of the spring kicks into full gear.

"And yet there were others, unafraid to vocalise their thoughts in the game's aftermath, who witnessed Horan crumpling beneath the Northampton scrum and questioned whether the loose-head's return actually made things any better."

Tony Ward reviews Ireland's Heineken Cup campaign and touches on the continuing problems faced by Italian sides in The Irish Independent.

"It's the equivalent in Olympic currency of three golds and a silver for our provinces in Europe.

"Munster, Leinster topped their pools and ensured home quarter-finals in the Heineken Cup, and Connacht did the same in the Amlin Challenge Cup. Ulster finished a close second in their Heineken Cup group and were desperately unlucky to miss out on the consolation of a place in the last eight of Europe's shadow competition.

"It is said you reap what you sow but, in Ulster's case, I'm not so sure as, yet again, the pools with an Italian presence - Treviso and Viadana - provided the two best runners-up, in Northampton and the Ospreys. That is the one real weakness in the system. Draw an Italian team in the pool and straightaway you're in with a double-route chance of qualification for the knock-outs.

"It re-emphasises the need to get the Italians' act together, to get the professional game there up to speed with the rest. We all want the Italian game to succeed but right now it is a huge albatross around the neck of the ERC."

Irishman Ronan O'Gara reflects on the Lions defeat to South Africa in Pretoria © Getty Images

Ireland legend Ronan O'Gara will begin to repair his damaged reputation, forged on last summer's Lions tour, in the Heineken Cup with Munster. Mark Souster writes in The Times.

"O’Gara is rueful and can even afford to laugh at himself. “It was not the impact I was expecting to make when I came on,” O’Gara said yesterday. He does not seek to make excuses or avoid responsibility for his actions. “But when I got on I was dumped by Spies and for a minute or two I didn’t know where I was.”

"What was going through his mind? “People said I should have kicked it out and settled for the draw, but I was trying to win the Test, get position, maybe a penalty or a dropped goal,” he said. “At that level the margins are so small and no one was more disappointed than I was. I thought it was a harsh penalty. But you live or die by your actions. I have thought about it a lot, but I would not change anything.”

"Brave words, but knowing O’Gara well, it is not an attempt at justification. It is sincere."

Jean de Villiers is beginning to get into the swing of things with Munster, according to David Kelly in The Irish Independent.

"When he had first pitched up at the province last September, De Villiers was expecting to feature from the bench against the Dragons, but illness to Keith Earls saw him unexpectedly introduced to the fray from the start.

"At one stage, Ronan O'Gara discreetly passed on a certain call to him. De Villiers shook his head incomprehensibly. O'Gara relayed the instructions again. And again. "Sorry," said De Villiers to the out-half. "Can you speak a little slower? I can't understand a word you're saying."

"Much more was lost in translation as De Villiers struggled to integrate into the new society, supporters' frustrations exacerbated at Munster's poor form and the centre's seemingly effortless sashay into the South African squad for the November international defeat to Ireland, where his display superseded any in a club jersey to that point. Imperceptibly though, he has turned the corner, from his debut try against Treviso in November, through to the more settled midfield partnership with Earls which has blossomed along with Munster's blistering recent form."

Brian O'Driscoll revealed all about 'Gidley' following his side's victory over Brive © Getty Images

Brian O'Driscoll talks to David Kelly and reveals the inspiration behind Shane Horgan's amazing flip pass against Brive in The Irish Independent.

"They call it the 'Gidley'. Not quite a secret weapon but all the same a ploy requiring audacious skill and dead-eyed cohesion. Shane Horgan's sumptuous flicked pass to Brian O'Driscoll in the dying moments of Saturday's breathless finish against Brive became the latest adornment to a back-line's box of tricks which seems almost everlasting.

"A tribute to Aussie rugby league star Matt Gidley - a former team-mate of Ireland's World Cup flop Brian Carney - Leinster's erstwhile backs coach David Knox introduced the trick into the squad's training drills and the star-studded back-line haven't stopped delivering since. "We have a little competition to see who can get the most in a season," revealed the Ireland captain yesterday.

"Perhaps feeling the need to avoid publicising the private competitive edges which have driven his squad to the summit of the European game, O'Driscoll didn't volunteer the possessor of the 'maillot jaune' in terms of doing the 'Gidley'."

Irish rugby is in great shape but missing one vital ingredient according to Hugh Farrelly in The Irish Independent.

Since Paul Wallace's retirement in the early part of the last decade, there has been no outstanding candidate for his berth in the team, a situation which still prevails, and in such a vital position, this is far from ideal.

"Court, Mike Ross and Tony Buckley are the leading alternatives, but there are caveats associated with each - not least the issue of their lack of regular game time.

"Former Ireland captain Terry Kingston played with some quality Irish tight-heads during his international career, props of the calibre of Des Fitzgerald, Jim McCoy, Gary Halpin and Peter Clohessy."

David Kelly catches up with a fit-again Jonathan Sexton ahead of their Heineken Cup meeting with Brive in The Irish Independent.

"Jonathan Sexton has achieved so much in one year, yet he's still a guy in an immense hurry. A Heineken Cup and an Ireland debut have failed to sate someone who this time last year thought his Leinster days were behind him.

"History will record that injury opened the door to what would become an annus mirabilis. And yet just as he reached the pinnacle of his career to date, in the penultimate play of the titanic win against world champions South Africa, he too succumbed to fateful injury.

"Amid the fervour of that exultant Croke Park day, Sexton barely contemplated the thought that his hand may be broken. It was, and he has not played in the six weeks since. Understandably, impatience has tugged at his sleeve, Leinster's recent inactivity fuelling his frustration as much as the cautious counsel of the medics."

The Irish Times' Keith Duggan on how the bad weather has hit Connacht harder than most, and just as they had hit some decent form in this, their coach’s final season at the helm.

"The opening days of the year have highlighted anything in Irish sport, it is surely that life must be that bit more difficult for Connacht rugby club. Throughout the week, they trained as usual for their match against Newport-Gwent Dragons while the club stewards faced a race against the clock to thaw out the home field.

"The match was called off on Wednesday morning, leaving the team in a limbo period of three weeks leading into a defining night in their season when Montpellier visit the Sportsground next Friday. A victory against the French would secure top spot in their Amlin Cup group, a placing few would have predicted when the draw was made."

Hugh Farrelly, writing in The Irish Independent, insists that Rob Kearney's selection on the wing for Leinster is 'no biggie' as Ireland's Six Nations defence approaches

"Leinster coach Michael Cheika has been rightly credited with bringing through an array of Irish talent since he took the reins five seasons ago, names that will buttress Ireland's World Cup assault in New Zealand in 2011.

"However, his selection for this weekend's Magners League clash with pace-setters Glasgow - presuming it goes ahead - is not ideal from Ireland's Six Nations point of view. Rob Kearney made his Ireland debut against Argentina in 2007 with the No 11 jersey on his back and was not capped in his best position of full-back until his fifth international appearance against Wales in the 2008 Six Nations.

"He guested on the left wing four more times for his country, but, since Ireland suited up for their Grand Slam drive last year, Kearney has been the man at 15 in a year that included a stunning three-Test show for the Lions. Indeed, you would not find too many quibblers if he was selected at fullback on a World XV."

The Six Nations is around the corner and all eyes are on Declan Kidney's Ireland according to Peter Bills in The Irish Independent.

"Perhaps it is the sense of optimism that arises naturally in rugby at this time of the year.

"The weather may be dire in the northern hemisphere but look what's just around the corner in a few weeks time -- the Six Nations. In the southern hemisphere, they're gearing up for the start of the Super 14 next month.

"Besides, eras of austerity have frequently heralded years of promise, of propitious times at hand. We should remain optimistic that rugby union, in the year 2010, will provide evidence to reassert such beliefs.

"For all the dire, dreary rugby which littered the game in 2009, we must remain hopeful that a new year may ignite fresh, bolder approaches by the world's coaches. For it is this small, exclusive and privileged group which holds in its hands, the key to the future game."

Hugh Farrelly has high hopes for Ireland in 2010 - starting with Connacht in the Heineken Cup and ending with those pesky All Blacks - in The Irish Independent.

"Last year's wish-list didn't work out too badly. That compilation centred around the abandonment of the most heinous of the ELV laws and once that wish was granted, everything else was a bonus.

"The game is still riddled with enough kick-backs to satisfy the most corrupt politician but is still far better than its horrendous ELV incarnation.

"There has been a welcome return to basics and a re-emphasis on rugby's core values, notably up front, and to the Aussie-driven, TV revenue-hunting ELV conspirators the message could be (in Eamon Dunphy vernacular): "The maul is back baby, deal with it."

Will Greenwood hails Brian O'Driscoll's famous year and laments the loss of the British & Irish Lions in South Africa in The Daily Telegraph.

"Come the autumn, their self-belief enabled them to snatch a draw against Australia and then they delivered in another humdinger against South Africa. The next step is the hardest – Ireland now have to take down the big guns on their own turf. Until they do that, they will be merely a good team; now they have to push for greatness.

"Individually on the world stage there have been some massive performances, aside from O'Driscoll. Fourie du Preez won everything he could and has been South Africa's key man over the past three years. Matt Giteau is simply the most aesthetically pleasing rugby player around. Dan Carter's return from a snapped Achilles has been majestic. Rocky Elsom led Leinster home in the Heineken Cup.

"Simon Shaw was awesome in the second and third Lions Tests in South Africa, Jamie Roberts was remarkable in the first and three-quarters of the second. Jamie Heaslip was magnificent all year. And Richie McCaw brought a New Zealand side who were under pressure up north in the autumn and led from the front as they destroyed everyone."

	Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll hoists the Six Nations Championship trophy © Getty Images

"Entering 2009, Ireland had won just four of its 10 matches in 2008, all at home against the combined might of Italy, Scotland, Canada and the understrength Pumas. All told, in Ireland’s previous 18 matches, there had been 11 defeats, while the other three wins had been a fortunate victory over Italy at Ravenhill and those taut World Cup wins over Namibia and Georgia. Notions of winning a Grand Slam would have had you in a straitjacket.

"...It transpired that the “honesty sessions” just before Christmas in the Marriott Hotel in Enfield were the origins of the Grand Slam. There, famously, Rob Kearney had brought up an elephant in the room, namely about the Munster players’ passion for the red and green jerseys before the squad were gobsmacked, rapt and inspired for two hours by Pádraig Harrington.

Most pertinent of all was the revised game plan, fed to the players and devised by Kidney, Gert Smal, Les Kiss and Alan Gaffney. Where there had been some confusion the preceding November, thereafter there was clarity. They didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. The forwards were granted more licence to take on opposition packs."

Tony Ward, writing in The Irish Independent, puts forward his fears for the future of rugby in Connacht should their reliance on overseas players continue.

"In Limerick, what should have been a tough test for Munster turned out to be a one-sided romp. It was reassurance for Tony McGahan that he has plenty in reserve while, for Michael Bradley, it was a reality check of sorts. No one knows better than the long-serving Connacht head coach the extent of his limitations. His battle has been an admirable one. That said, I do find the Connacht situation perplexing.

"Let me declare my take here. I believe in the four-province, three-tier system that has served Irish rugby so well. I support the need for a 'shop window' professional side in the west. Should we reach the stage where cutbacks need to be made then I have little doubt as to where the IRFU will first look.

"Underage rugby in Connacht is thriving. Interest in the game is on a high. It is imperative the best of emerging talent has something to strive for.

"The aim for every young Connacht boy should be to wear that green Connacht jersey with pride. The desire should be there to become the Gavin Duffy, the Conor O'Loughlin, the Johhny O'Connor or the John Muldoon of tomorrow."

Munster coach Tony McGahan praised the tremendous depth in his squad after an understrength side scored a bonus-point victory over Connacht, read the Irish Independent's take on their latest Magners League success.

"Australian Paul Warwick produced a man-of-the-match display having come on for fullback Felix Jones after 16 minutes before slotting in for Ronan O'Gara at out-half for the second period.

Warwick scored 10 points, including one of Munster's four tries, the others coming from winger Ian Dowling, hooker Damian Varley and a superb 80th-minute effort from centre Jean de Villiers with Connacht managing a single Ian Keatley penalty in reply. McGahan was without a raft of frontline internationals, including captain Paul O'Connell, but is happy to travel with the same squad to Ravenhill for next weekend's meeting with Ulster."

Leinster's affable prop Stan Wright is going to do his best to spend Christmas with an Australian slant, but without the sun and beer, he talks to Gavin Cummiskey in the Irish Times.

"Some people are lucky enough to know a guy, while slightly deranged, who possesses the natural ability to drag a room full of people to their knees in laughter. In Stanley Wright, Leinster have such a character. To the communications department’s credit, they rolled out the Cook Islander prop for some festive cheer in Riverview yesterday.

"Now, all Wright’s comments should be taken with a pinch of salt. A good-natured human being if ever there was one, he brought a refreshing honestly and infectious chesty laugh to proceedings. It started with an innocuous enough question about plans for Christmas day.

“Spending Christmas day with the Whitakers’. We usually spend it there. Spent it there last year. Just down the road. This time I don’t think I will be walking out legless. Every time we go to the Whitaker’s we seem to come out legless – maybe not this year.”

In his column in the Irish Independent, former Ireland fly-half Tony Ward hails Jean de Villiers' best performance to date for Munster.

"Forget this nonsense about answering critics - the head coach who dropped him is the only opinion that matters - and concentrate instead on de Villiers' 'get on with it' attitude over the past two frustrating weeks spent out of the first-team loop. As with Ronan O'Gara - who let his feet and hands do the talking vis-a-vis losing his Irish place - so too with the much decorated Springbok centre for Munster. That's how it should be.

“His second-half try represented skill (by way of the step) and utter determination in making the line and it completed the victory the rest of his new team-mates so richly deserved. It will enter the annals of Munster folklore but more importantly, it provided proof that Tony McGahan has signed a player of substance and not a fleeting mercenary.

"All that said, the midfield conundrum still exists. Sunday's try, welcome though it was, will not blind McGahan to that reality."

If Munster weren’t regularly up against it, we wouldn’t have had the drama and fun and games which we’ve had in the past, according to the Irish Times' Gerry Thornley.

"Not even the orchestrated and risible attempt by home stewards to insist that all Munster fans break their flag poles in half as they constituted ‘weapons’ could dim their colours.

"Although even some of the faithful had begun to doubt, they can enjoy Christmas a little more easily now. There’s something comforting about Munster being back in the groove. For even if, as O’Connell repeatedly conceded, Leinster have usurped them in 2009, Munster’s well-being is usually a barometer of Irish rugby’s health as well.

"In the process, Munster have gone and made mugs of a few people again. History has taught us never to write Munster off, and never to be surprised, much less shocked, by what they are capable of."

Peter Bills hails stunning Heineken Cup victories from Munster and Leinster in The Irish Independent.

"So how on earth do Santa and his reindeer pals top this weekend of Heineken Cup rugby for Irish men and women? With extreme difficulty, I would suggest. Those who follow passionately the fortunes of Leinster and Munster got all their Christmas presents a week early, with coruscating victories by the two Irish provinces.

"Perhaps Santa had kept his biggest present for Ireland coach Declan Kidney, who must be beaming at two such comprehensive wins. Roll on the 2010 Six Nations Championship in the New Year. Munster, in particular, gave Kidney a template on how to defeat French sides.

"Irish teams have finished the year as they started it, with some hammering victories of huge importance. What Leinster did in Dublin on Saturday and Munster in the south of France yesterday underlined what a stunning year 2009 has been for Irish rugby."

New prop on the Leinster block, Mike Ross, thanks disgraced former Harlequins boss Dean Richards for saving career, he talks to David Kelly in the Irish Independent.

"It's been a strange 2009 for Mike Ross. He arrived back on Irish soil this summer, joining Leinster on the back of winning his first international cap against Canada, and with the promise of much more to come from the home of the new Heineken Cup champions.

"The club he left, Harlequins, would soon become embroiled in the tawdry saga that was 'bloodgate,' a cheating escapade which, ironically, could easily have upended his new employers' European dreams. And yet, as he watched his former team-mates' travails accelerate into further farce, he thought of Dean Richards, the now disgraced former head coach of Harlequins, and knew that there was a different figure behind the publicly caricatured "ex-bobby gone bent."

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, former England international Brian Moore outlines why he believes that Declan Kidney has the deepest pool of playing talent available to him in Irish history.

"At one point England had all the following back-row players available: openside – Peter Winterbottom, Gary Rees, Andy Robinson and Neil Back; blindside – Jon Hall, Mike Teague and Mick Skinner; No 8 – Dean Richards, Tim Rodber, Ben Clarke and Lawrence Dallaglio. Perm any three of them and they would be better than any combination now available.

“Ireland's back-row factory may not yet be turning out the equal of that list, but they have more talent in that department than at any time in their history. Stephen Ferris, Denis Leamy, David Wallace, David Pollock, Chris Henry, Jamie Heaslip and Sean O'Brien all featured prominently in their sides' Heineken Cup wins over the weekend.

“Ronan O'Gara's resurgent form ensured victory for Munster over Perpignan, making the national fly-half berth a genuine selection poser, but then the performances of Andrew Trimble on the wing, Keith Earls at centre and Isaac Boss at scrum-half also pushed their claims. Only a few years ago Irish selectors prayed for such problems.

“Declan Kidney, Ireland's coach, must have been very satisfied with not only the form of his returning internationals, such as Rob Kearney, but also many fringe and younger players. All of this suggests he has available to him the strongest depth of playing talent in Irish history.”

Leinster’s coach Michael Cheika, in his final season with the province, wants to see his charges perform like European champions. He talks to Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times.

"It's a source of considerable pride for Michael Cheika that the Irish team which finished the win against South Africa contained four recent products of the Leinster academy – Rob Kearney, Jamie Heaslip, Sean O’Brien and Cian Healy. Slowly, but relatively seamlessly, the Leinster squad has undergone quite a change in Cheika’s five years at the helm.

"Indeed, he notes that there are only eight players from the squad he inherited still playing for the province – Girvan Dempsey, Gordon D’Arcy, Bernard Jackman, Brian O’Driscoll, Shane Horgan, Ronnie McCormack, Malcolm O’Kelly and Jamie Heaslip – while Rob Kearney came into the team halfway through that 2005-06 campaign."

Hugh Farrelly looks ahead to the weekend's Heineken Cup action by remembering a watershed moment for Ireland last season in The Irish Independent.

“The Ireland squad's brainstorm session in Enfield a year ago is now regarded as a seminal event in the history of Irish rugby - a Magna Carta moment that proved to be a launch pad for 12 months of unprecedented achievement.

“Ireland, adjusting to a fresh coaching regime, had just toiled through a difficult November series while a Munstersecond/third string had produced a wonderfully combative and skilful performance which very nearly caught out a shell-shocked All Blacks side at Thomond Park.

“And in that Co Meath retreat, Leinster full-back Rob Kearneybrought up the awkward issue of the Munster players transferring their legendary, long-established spirit to the green jersey.

“After some initial bristling, Kearney's concept was embraced and the upshot was a 10-match unbeaten run in 2009, incorporating a first Grand Slam in 61 years and victory over world champions, Tri Nations title-holders and Lions conquerors South Africa.”

The Irish Times' John O'Sullivan talks to the Leinster and Ireland fly-half Jonathan Sexton in the aftermath of the seismic impact he made during the November Test series.

"He didn’t make the Ireland match 22 against Australia, his debut against Fiji the following week and then retain his spot for South Africa from piggybacking on others’ misfortune. He earned those opportunities by dint of form. Talent is one ingredient for a successful sportsperson but Sexton lent substance to the wish list of qualities like passion, aptitude, work ethic and attitude.

"There is a tendency to trace the genesis of his current status to the day he climbed off the bench and played such a pivotal role in Leinster’s Heineken Cup semi-final victory over Munster at Croke Park last season. He tells a different tale."

Jonny Sexton, Ireland's newest star, talks John O'Sullivan through his autumn series and that performance against South Africa in The Irish Times.

"He learned of his inclusion for the Springbok game from Ronan O’Gara who generously came to his erstwhile rival to give him a “heads up” prior to the team announcement. “Ronan told me, explained that Deccie had told him (O’Gara) that he would not be starting. He told me there was no point in keeping it secret. He was really professional and helpful in the build-up to the game and if and when the circumstances change I would hope to be the same. When playing for Ireland it’s important to put your rivalries aside. I think Paulie (O’Connell) summed it up best when saying that when the provinces play it’s like competing with your brother. The last person in the world you’d want to lose to is your brother.

“That rivalry is put aside when come together for Ireland. There is a tremendous spirit and camaraderie. I rang my dad (Gerry) and his reaction was ‘oh, Jesus Christ, you’re not starting, are you?’ He gets more nervous than me. I certainly didn’t expect it, especially when you consider all that Rog has done for Ireland in the big matches. Declan had faith in me and I had to repay that.”

"Sexton got a text from Felipe Contepomi on the eve of the game. His one-time mentor at Leinster reminded him that the most important thing was to trust his instincts and to do the right thing for the team. The team was everything and that individual aspirations take second place.

	Brian O'Driscoll was passed over for the IRB's top gong © Getty Images

"In amateur times, rugby union was always promoted as the ultimate team game. Certainly, given its nature, it had the facility to cater for all body types. A place could always be found for little Jimmy Blobby alongside long Johnny Beanpole in the same starting XV. Few competing codes could offer the same equality of opportunity.

"The team ethic was the core principle, guarded almost jealously by the game's administrators. Then, in 1979, the first Man of the Match awards came into being for the Five Nations, as it was then known.

"Following the opening Ireland game of that season (against the French in Dublin), I was named the recipient of the inaugural award. At training at Lansdowne Road the following weekend I was presented with a carriage clock by Paul McWeeney on behalf of the rugby writers. It was engraved with the sponsors' name, Thwaites and Matthews (to this day I couldn't tell you what they sold), and on the following Monday morning the picture of Paul (sadly long since passed away) presenting me with the award appeared in all the different papers.

"No big deal and all with the approval of the IRFU -- or so I thought! To cut a long story short, within 48 hours I had received a typically frosty and impersonal letter signed by Bob Fitzgerald on behalf of the IRFU."

The Irish Independent's Vincent Hogan salutes a brave performance from Ireland against their not-so-best buddies South Africa.

"Of all the energies beating in and out of Croke Park on Saturday, maybe the most telling was antipathy. There is always a masquerade of friendship when it's over, of course. Always the same, dutiful recitations of respect. But not everything we had seen fell strictly within the jurisdiction of rugby football and, maybe, the knowledge of that deepened what we felt. For, if there's one thing worse than hostility from the big teams, it's ambivalence.

"The look on Schalk Burger's face as he crossed for the only try had betrayed the Springboks' thinking. Nothing would have given them greater pleasure than to kick on from there, cleaving Brian O'Driscoll and Co into oblivion.

"Just as Drew Mitchell celebrated a Wallaby try like a lotto winner at the Canal End two weeks earlier, Burger too seemed incapable of controlling the electricity in his body. He wrestled for escape from the embrace of team-mates, as if they had cattle prods in their hands. He fell, got up, then fell again. And finally, eyes burning like braziers, he shunted the football high into a refrigerated sky."

If Ireland’s victory at Croke Park could be defined by a single moment then Brian O’Driscoll’s thunderous tackle on South African fullback Zane Kirchner in the final throes of a pulsating duel encapsulated a team’s attitude. John Sullivan writesin the Irish Times.

"The Irish captain had no regard for his own physical well being when he launched himself into a collision that would prove crucial to the final outcome. Ireland were stretched paper thin, inside their own 22 with the game clock showing 80 minutes. Some 74,900 spectators held their collective breath as the Springboks propelled themselves towards the potential salvation of a try.

"Those expectations foundered when O’Driscoll emptied Kirchner in the tackle, forcing the concession of a penalty as the stunned Springbok clung onto the ball on the ground, a reflex action. Ireland, the Grand Slam winners had beaten South Africa, the world and Tri-Nations kingpins in the self proclaimed battle of the hemispheres."

No sooner has Ronan O'Gara been dropped than he has been written off. How soon we all forget, writes former Ireland captain Keith Wood in the Daily Telegraph.

"Is it just me or have we lost all sense of perspective? Sport in general, and rugby in particular, just seems to be sensationalised out of all order. Not every decision is momentous, not every selection make-or-break. I am beginning to feel we are all taking ourselves a bit too seriously.

"In the midst of Ireland's worst-ever floods, the O'Gara-Jonathan Sexton debate has been front-page news. Come on! We love this game, but that is what it is, a game."

Ireland coach Declan Kidney needs to exploit the squad system against Fiji this weekend, writes Tony Ward in the Irish Independent.

"Despite the euphoria of the final minutes at Croke Park on Sunday, nobody in this Irish camp will be lulled into any false sense of security. To have eked out a draw at the death was a remarkable achievement, given the trend of play for most of the game's opening hour. Prior to Cian Healy's barnstorming run - which was a watershed moment in the game's momentum - it was the Wallabies in control, dominating both the scrum and breakdown to an alarming degree.

"In the end, perhaps there was an element of luck about snatching the draw, but when you battle the physical odds and run yourself into the ground then you earn whatever return comes your way. As ever, Declan Kidney was extremely generous in his post-match summation when insisting, ‘you cannot coach attitude’. We all know what he means, but equally, I would contend it is the main man who is responsible for inculcating that never-say-die attitude into the squad."

Brian O'Driscoll's last throw of the dice capped Ireland's relentless attacking display, according to Hugh Farrelly in the Irish Independent.

"While rustiness, aggressive Australian play and Kaplan's inconsistency contributed to an uneven performance, the most encouraging aspect from an Irish point of view was the obvious expansion of their attacking play, with all of the backline receiving regular ball to run onto, which is essential if this side is to reach the heights they aspire to."

Writing in the Irish Times, Gerry Thornley reports on Ireland's last-gasp draw with Australia at Croke Park.

"Ironically, the game began and ended on set moves to release Brian O’Driscoll; the first of them coughing up a seven-pointer for Australia to open the scoring, the second to earn Ireland a last-ditch reprieve. That rather summed up the patchy nature of Ireland’s performance, for in between times O’Driscoll scarcely received a ball, and one that he did came with a red cross on it.

"Ireland did try to broaden their canvas by opting to play what they saw on a good few occasions, and even daring to counter-attack. By contrast, Australia varied less from their well-honed play book – save for the odd spark of genius by Matt Giteau – but established a controlling foothold for long stretches with their attacking patterns."

Eddie Butler pays tribute to Brian O'Driscoll's 2009 rejuvination on the morning of his 100th Test cap in The Observer.

"Then something utterly extraordinary happened, one of the great sporting reinventions of the age. Maybe it was Leinster's catalogue of failure that drove him, perhaps it was Ireland's inability to go the whole hog in the Six Nations. Perhaps he didn't like the sneers.

"But suddenly there was this force of nature at work on the rugby field, not flowing, long-locked, in midfield, but strutting into confined quarters and seizing the ball reserved for forwards and showing them the way to the line. O'Driscoll had always been a try-scorer – Ireland's record-holder with 36 – but not like this.

"If it was a sign of more thrust from close range and less of the purr from afar, O'Driscoll then showed that there was plenty left in the tank. In defence he began to be more conspicuous than ever, flying into tackles all over the shop, bouncing back to his feet and looking for more. Gone was the winking, lop-sided grinner. In his place was this lunatic with a glint in his eye, looking for trouble."

Ahead of his side's autumn clashes, Ireland coach Declan Kidney talks to the Irish Times.

"Declan Kidney is undoubtedly an intelligent man, but winning the Grand Slam in his first year might be construed as being a little silly – akin to Orson Welles making Citizen Kane as his first movie. Toward the end of a career that had gradually and irreversibly declined, Welles reasoned: “I started at the top, and worked my way down.”

"We trust Kidney won’t be paraphrasing Welles further down the track. Nevertheless, expectations have been raised, one imagines, within the squad as well as publicly. As ever, though, the way he sees it, a small part of Kidney’s remit is to manage that, or at any rate try to keep it in perspective, in part so that we all enjoy the ride more as well."

Paul Rees is hoping that the November Test matches provide something to shout about after mixed bags in the Six Nations and Tri-Nations in The Guardian.

"John Clare wrote about dark and dull November days, but how the game in Europe could do with an Indian summer as the autumn internationals beckon. South Africa, New Zealand and Australia arrive in Europe after a Tri-Nations campaign that was hardly more stimulating than the Six Nations championship which preceded it.

"The New Zealand coach, Graham Henry, was in typically waspish mood this week when he described most sides in Europe, meaning the Six Nations, as conservative in their approach. Dull, in other words. He cited Wales as the exception, but South Africa have hardly been a byword for adventure this year and their meeting with Ireland at the end of the month, who won the Six Nations by adopting similarly constrictive tactics, could come down to who blinks first.

"Henry laments the surfeit of kicking spawned last year by the experimental law variations, but Wales presaged the changes on their way to the 2008 grand slam when they kicked more often than anyone else in the Six Nations, keeping the ball in play and chasing hard. They were opportunistic and waited for the moment."

Mick Cleary believes that there are no excuses for the northern hemisphere sides as they face down the Tri-Nations giants in The Daily Telegraph.

"But as a month-long fest kicks off with two seminal encounters on Saturday, as England take on Australia at Twickenham and Wales attempt again to lay the All Blacks ghost to rest in Cardiff, one thing is clear: it's time for the European nations to front up.

"For Wales and Ireland, there are no get-out clauses. Anything less than a clean sweep would rate as a disappointment. Given that Wales have not beaten the All Blacks since 1953, that obligation might seem excessive. It isn't, because if not now, it might as well be never. True, there are a few injuries in the camp, and scrum-half Mike Phillips will be particularly missed, but nothing beyond the norm.

"If the Lions are to have any relevance outside their immediate sphere, there has to be spin-off into occasions such as these. The Lions managed to rattle the Springboks with a scratch (top-quality) side and minimal preparation."

Sean Diffley aims some criticism at Ireland coach Declan Kidney in The Irish Independent.

"There is only one individual in this green, misty and recessioned isle of ours who has never been criticised. Never. I refer to our national rugby coach, Declan Kidney. It's quite an achievement, isn't it? Governments, journalists, farmers, trade unions - an endless list and not necessarily in that particular order raise the ire of all types of critics.

"And critics, of course, come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Thomas Beecham, the noted and irascible orchestral conductor, described critics as "drooling, drivelling, doleful, depressing, dropsical drips". Thomas had a way with the letter D, hadn't he?

"But few in the passing centuries have escaped the dropsical down-put - Shakespeare, Mozart, James Joyce, Brian Cowen - they have all shipped their fair quota of disrespect. But there is that unique exception; Declan Kidney.

"However, all good things must come to an end and I gently place myself at the top of the queue to become the first to take issue with Kidney on the composition of his 39-man squad he has nominated for the autumn internationals, the confrontations with Australia, Fiji and South Africa, this November in Dublin."

After a strangely subdued start to the new season, David Kelly of the Irish Independent analyses whether Munster really are in crisis.

"On the first Saturday of this year, Ulster travelled to Thomond Park and spanked Munster 37-11. Ronan O'Gara recalled the experience in his autobiography. 'The doubters and knockers had a field day,' he wrote.

"Fast forward 10 months and, despite last season's ultimate achievements in winning a Magners League and reaching the last four in Europe (still a "failure" in O'Gara's eyes), Munster have more knockers than a row of NFL cheerleaders.

"During that last winter of discontent, Munster had also lost to Connacht during the festive season and the ever-available obituaries were dusted down from the shelves and gleefully replicated by the usual punditry suspects.

"And yet, two months later, Munster produced arguably their most complete European performance when they destroyed the Ospreys in their Heineken Cup quarter-final. Their relentless assault on perfection in the guise of a League and Cup double seemed assured. It was an illusory ambition.

"That Leinster tore up the script is now history. And now the question is posed once more: Are Munster finished? Next Saturday against Ulster will provide a conveniently timed prism through which to analyse whether Munster are indeed officially immersed in crisis."

In this weekly column in the Irish Independent, Tony Ward assesses the form of Ireland’s finest ahead of Declan Kidney’s squad announcement for the autumn internationals.

"Although not officially tagged the 'back door' route, Irish teams - and Munster in particular - may yet thank their lucky stars at the timing of the new play-off system when the business end of the Magners League marathon comes around.

"Like Shannon being consistently in the top four of the AIB League over the years, you know that, once Munster are in the frame, they're going to be extremely difficult to shake off.

"It is still early days, yet a third of the Magners League and Heineken Cup pool games have been played. An assessment of Irish form in domestic and European competition would suggest that, at best, it has been hit and miss."

Brendan Fanning, writing in The Irish Independent, takes a look at the ever-changing academy landscape.

"If you were reading your daily rugby coverage early last week, or tuning into sports broadcasts on tv and radio, the name of Stephen Archer will ring a bell. The 21-year-old prop came off the bench after an hour for his Magners League debut, in Murrayfield on Friday night, and did well. Well enough perhaps to start next weekend, given Darragh Hurley's injury situation, and the fact that currently Munster are in the horrors and Archer is unlikely to make it any worse.

"Perhaps it's the name 'Academy' but every time you hear that one of their number -- especially a front-row forward -- is being called up to the front line you think of schoolboys. And of course that's where their selection process starts now. Earlier and earlier in rugby we are lining up teenagers and hoping they mature into the finished article.

"Twenty one years ago in Belfast, a member of the Australian coaching staff gave a module to aspiring Irish coaches on talent identification and its importance in securing a bright future. He was talking to the wrong people. It was the IRFU he needed to educate first -- they would have run a mile at the time -- and in any case his audience that day thought talent identification was something you might do in a pub of a Saturday night."

Writing in the Irish Times, former Leinster captain Liam Toland discusses the changing nature of the relationship between the provinces and the national team as Declan Kidney looks to pick his squad.

"Kidney could be forgiven for thinking the provincial coaches are now dictating the form, confidence and timing of key Irish players through their need to balance expensive foreigners and winning cup matches. The provinces have done exceptionally well, but Kidney must balance form and pedigree for his squad. Confidence must be maintained this autumn, but players must be blooded. On merit and influence thus far there are now several contenders to the established starting international XV.

"So where does all this leave Kidney? Who’ll be his loosehead, tighthead, hooker, backrow and inside centre? Regardless of his pencilled-in squad, this weekend is another chance for a breakthrough. There is huge indecision throughout the provinces regarding their best centre combination. Will Kidney use the autumn to bed down these positions before the provinces rearrange them back to suit themselves?"

Writing in The Irish Independent, David Kelly joins the debate as to Ireland's best XV.

"We are often told that the success of our provinces is so important to the health of the national team. And, with the leading Irish contenders perched prettily near the top of their Heineken Cup pool tables, in addition to Ulster at least remaining competitive, the gloom embraced by fickle fans merely a week ago should have lifted.

"Why, then, are so many Irish rugby supporters scratching their heads with less than a month to go before the opening autumn international against Australia? Perhaps because somewhere this morning Declan Kidney is also a tad bemused as he assesses the state of the nation following the temporary hibernation of the Heineken Cup.

"Despite Ireland's status as Grand Slam champions, there remains considerable cause for debate about what constitutes its best 15. Although planning for the World Cup 2011 is the main priority for Kidney and the national brains trust, the natural competitor in the Corkman would like to topple both the Aussies and later the South Africans in this year's unofficial world title bout."

Bath prop David Flatman muses on the significance of Ravenhill following his side's Heineken Cup defeat to Ulster in The Independent on Sunday.

"As the final whistle blew, we celebrated for a matter of seconds before our thoughts drifted back to our fallen friend. The changing room was both relieved and sombre at the same time; sombre, that is, until I checked my phone. Expecting a message of congratulation from my parents at home, I was staggered to see Wally's name pop up on my screen. "I'll get through this, boys, don't worry," he said, "just you lot say hi to 'The Fly' for me." The fact he was comfortable enough to text was promising but that did not stop me being confused; what was The Fly?

"The Fly, as it turned out, was the nightclub to which we all flocked that night for a celebratory drink. Ulstermen and Saracens alike shared jokes, beers and kebabs (I had salad) late into the night and Wally was toasted more than once. This week's visit was similar in terms of atmosphere, although somewhat more restrained (a 9am flight home can't help but temper one's enthusiasm).

"Ulster, or rather Ravenhill, retains all that is sacred about the rugby ground. To play there is to enter one of Europe's most hostile, oppressive environments where everything – weather included – seems stacked in favour of the home team. The howling, growling wind and the horizontal, seemingly grit-infused rain conspires to make forward progress remarkably difficult. But as soon as the match is over, the animals become gentlemen and all of rugby's bad intentions seem to evaporate into the Belfast mist as the men with whom one was just brawling enquire as to your movements for the evening."

David Kelly meets Leinster's Michael Cheika and Munster's Tony McGahan to chew over the fallout from last weekend's huge Magners League showdown in The Irish Independent.

"Michael Cheika woke up on Sunday morning bathed in beams of bright sunshine and raucous birdsong filling his ears. For Tony McGahan, Sunday morning arrived dark and despairing, with a thumping headache assailing his senses.

"Sunday morning, it was very difficult to wake up," admitted McGahan yesterday, returning to the city where Leinster had so comprehensively touted their European supremacy less than a week before the 15th Heineken Cup competition fizzes refreshingly into view.

"You were hoping for a bit more darkness and that the morning wouldn't come. Yesterday was a long day as it always is after any sort of loss, especially so after the one on Saturday night. It certainly hasn't got any easier, we're still very disappointed with our performance."

"Nobody would be foolish enough to suggest that the balance of power has swung irreversibly towards Leinster following a decade of European dominance from the men in red.

"Certainly not anyone within Leinster, as Cheika avers. "I've said genuinely that not a lot of people expected us to win the Heineken Cup last year," he admits. "And I think even less people expect us to back it up."

The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly believes Declan Kidney is the big loser as Rob Kearney watches tonight's Irish derby from the bench.

"The thorny issue of provinces working against the national interest raised its head again yesterday when Lions and Ireland star Rob Kearney was left out of the Leinster team to face Munster at the RDS this evening (6.30).

"Kearney's performances for the Lions against South Africa last summer earned him worldwide acclaim, with Munster's Springbok centre Jean De Villiers this week describing the Louth man as "phenomenal". Yet he must make do with a place on the bench tonight as coach Michael Cheika goes with Fijian international Isa Nacewa at full-back.

"Nacewa has been in excellent form this season, proving conclusively that full-back is his most effective position, and Cheika cannot be blamed for making a form selection, with Kearney looking a little rusty on his return to action against Edinburgh last weekend.

"But it is bad news for Declan Kidney, a few weeks ahead of November international series, with the Ireland coach understandably anxious for his frontline players to have matches behind them after their enforced post-Lions break."

Donnchadh Boyle, writing in The Irish Independent, evaluates the challengers to Ronan O'Gara's Ireland No.10 jersey.

"What a difference a year makes. From paltry resources to relative health, Ireland's fortunes in the crucial out-half position have transformed dramatically in the last 12 months.

"Jonathan Sexton finally put his hand up as genuine opposition to Ronan O'Gara for the Irish 10 shirt after steering Leinster to Heineken Cup glory last May and the duo are set to go head-to-head in the RDS tomorrow night.

"O'Gara is still very much the man in possession, but, for the first time since David Humphreys retired after the 2006 Six Nations campaign, the Munster man has reason to look over his shoulder."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Hugh Farrelly talks to rising Leinster star Devin Toner.

"He's heard them all before. From "what's the weather like up there?" to "woah, is the circus in town?"to the rather rudimentary Irish observation of "Jeez, you're fierce tall aren't ya?"

"What do you say in reply? "Ah, I'm wearing heels," or maybe you just nod and smile. Devin Toner is well used to pedestrians doing double takes as he strides by and the constant references to his height. None of it bothers him unduly and it cannot be denied that he has put his six feet and 10 inches to good use professionally."

To discount Eddie O'Sullivan as yesterday’s man is to discount the single-most influential figure in Irish rugby over what has been a truly momentous decade, writes Peter O'Reilly in the Sunday Times.

"There’s a scene in Eddie O’Sullivan’s just-published autobiography Never Die Wondering which perfectly illustrates the precarious existence of the professional sports coach. It’s late one night in April and O’Sullivan is sitting alone in his one-room apartment in Boulder, Colorado, surfing the net for speculation on Ian McGeechan’s Lions squad, due to be announced the following day.

“I will admit to a wistful thought that it could have been me striding into that Heathrow hotel to announce my selection,” he writes. “Instead, I faced the more mundane business of haggling over the price of a rucking net and seeing if, perhaps, I could book a meeting room in Charleston free of charge.”

"How are the mighty fallen. When he returns to the US next month, O’Sullivan will be preparing coaches for an ‘A’ team tournament involving Canada, Argentina and the Eagles. That’s ‘A’ for anonymous. The highlight of the season is the back-to-back, do-or-die World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay in Montevideo and a venue yet to be decided. Should the Eagles qualify, they’ll end up in the same pool as Ireland. “Someone up there is having a joke at my expense,” O’Sullivan quipped this week."

Speaking to Johnny Waterson in the Irish Times, USA coach Eddie O'Sullivan admitted he has experienced something of a culture shock since his days with Ireland.

There was moment in Eddie O’Sullivan’s rugby life during the USA rugby team’s camp in Colorado this summer when the realisation that he was now in a very different place was hammered home.

In the build-up to the USA’s match against Georgia in June, Alec Parker, the Eagles lock, informed his head coach, O’Sullivan, that on their day off on the Wednesday in the week of the match, he had to travel back to Aspen to save the hay.

Not only was Parker making the trip to his farm but he was taking three members of the US squad with him.

“Yeah, one of our locks is a farmer in Aspen. He’d no hay cut,” says O’Sullivan stoically.

“We were in camp so on the down day we sent three players with him to knock his hay. We’ve a lot of amateurs and even the professional players in the squad are division one in England or Italy.”

Writing in The Independent, Peter Bills salutes the unique talents of the late Bleddyn Williams and Ireland skipper Brian O'Driscoll.

"At a time when Bleddyn Williams, the so-called "Prince of Centres" from Wales, sadly passed away last week at the age of 86, it is appropriate to mark the achievements, especially this year, of the current "King of Centres", Brian O’Driscoll of Ireland.

"These two special players lit up their respective eras. No greater praise can be bestowed than that single, unarguable fact.

"Williams was the elegant, thrusting midfield player who won fame with the 1950 Lions and went on to lead Wales to victory over the 1953 All Blacks in Cardiff, their last triumph over New Zealand. A product of Rydal School in North Wales which had also produced another huge talent for Welsh rugby in Wilf Wooller, Williams won 22 caps between 1947 and 1955 including five as captain. He strode the stage in the years after the war, in which he had been a glider pilot often behind enemy lines.

"The tall, smartly dressed, friendly Welshman dismissed it all as "a bit of fun". That was his way of remaining low key. He preferred to ignore his own brilliance and put the spotlight on others."

Reggie Corrigan, writing in The Times, has no time for glory-supporting "Lunsters".

"I’ll never forget the hype and the mania and the scramble for tickets before the Leinster v Munster semi-final in Lansdowne Road three years ago. There was talk back then that if only the GAA would open up Croke Park, we’d have had no trouble filling it. Well three years on, and it’s actually happened – and there still aren’t enough tickets.

"I’ve been scrounging around same as everybody else. It’s a pain, but it’s also wonderful. The rivalry between two great teams and two fantastic sets of supporters is at the heart of what has made Irish rugby great.

"There’s just one problem. Munster’s fantastic success in the past few years has spawned a mutant breed of rugby fan – the Lunsters. They are born, bred, living and working in Leinster but they have turned their back on their own province and decided to support the men in red.

"I can hear already hear their yelps of self-justification: Everyone is entitled to support the team of their choice. Yes, but only within reason. Of all the arguments I’ve had with these people over the years – and I’ve had plenty, believe me - I’ve never been convinced."

Robert Kitson, in his blog for The Guardian, wonders whether there is a place for sportsmanship in the elite game.

"To succeed in top-level sport – or write about it – there is no escaping the moral maze. Just ask Lewis Hamilton. Perhaps the most thought-provoking assessment of the McLaren formula one team's ill-fated attempt to pull a fast one came from Mike Atherton, once England's butter-wouldn't-melt cricket captain. "The biggest crime of all is not losing, but not playing fair," wrote Atherton. Elite sport, for those who earn a living from it, is not a popularity contest.

"True, of course, but never has the hunt for victory at all costs been so intense or widespread. To play fair is to end up nowhere; only a loser gives an inch, particularly in rugby. Cynically killing the ball in front of your own posts to prevent a potentially crucial score is an integral part of the job. There is a chance the referee will fail to bin you, ergo it is a risk worth taking. Sure enough, when Leicester's Ben Kay dived in to halt Sale's late surge on Saturday, Wayne Barnes kept his cards in his pocket and the 14-man hosts duly won by six points. As the son of a distinguished late judge, the quick-witted Kay is better qualified than most to differentiate between a blatant sin and the more serious misdemeanour, namely getting caught.

"It was ever thus since the oldest pro of them all, WG Grace, insisted a sudden breeze, rather than the ball, had disturbed his bails. Gamesmanship or cheating? It depends where you draw your personal line. Take Neil Back's infamous 'Back-Hander' which helped the Tigers win a European Cup at Munster's expense. To a man, Munster's players suggested they would have done the same. Those of us who muttered aloud about sportsmanship and winning with honour were rewarded with the sort of incredulous looks normally reserved for tweedy country parsons at Stringfellows."

Eddie Butler believes that the 2009 Heineken Cup is Munster's to lose, in The Guardian.

"The Heineken Cup used to be a fairly simple business once the hectic stages of qualifications from the pools were over. Two questions presented themselves: who was going to win it and whose turn was it, perhaps while answering that first question, to beat Munster?

"Actually, Munster were also-rans for the first four years. But in 2000 they made it to the Twickenham final, where they lost to Northampton, and since then they have been fixtures in the last eight, losing only two quarter-finals, to Biarritz in 2005 and the Scarlets in 2007.

"They lost two semi-finals "away" in France (without being in the home ground of their opponents) by a single point, 16-15 to Stade Français in 2001, and 13-12 to Toulouse in 2003. The other semi they lost was at Lansdowne Road, perhaps the most dramatic game over 80 minutes in the history of the competition, 37-32 to Wasps.

"Another final was lost, to Leicester in the "hand of Back" game in Cardiff in 2002. Munster's trail of near-misses didn't quite stretch back into the monochrome depths of Ireland's 1948 grand slam, but every year fairly broke a few more hearts down in Limerick and Cork and all points in between."

Ireland skipper Brian O'Driscoll insists it was great to celebrate the Grand Slam win, but he is looking forward to settling back into club rugby. Read his thoughts in the Observer.

"It is hard to describe how I am feeling after last weekend. The overriding feeling is tiredness, as everything from the past few days – the emotion, the physicality of the match, and the partying afterwards – has all caught up with me. I felt unbelievably nervous on the Thursday as we travelled to Wales, and Friday was a very long day trying to relax at the hotel and waiting for match day. In the build-up to the game there was definitely an underlying feeling of how important the match was – not that everyone in the squad was constantly talking about the Grand Slam but it was obvious it was on people's minds.

"It has been a bit of a mad week since then. I tried to pop into Dublin to do some errands during the week and so many people were just sharing what it meant to them. However, despite all the hype and celebration, time moves on and it's time to get back to my day job. I was training with Leinster on Thursday and although I didn't play this weekend we have plenty more to do this season and there is more silverware up for grabs."

The Six Nations, the Triple Crown, the Heineken Cup and the Magners League are all Irish-owned. The Irish Times celebrates the recent dominance of Irish rugby by re-living the day leading up to their Grand Slam triumph.

"It’s incredible really. Lock, stock and barrel, the whole shooting gallery, is now in the possession of Irish rugby.

"...As Pádraig Harrington had explained to the squad, the trick is to keep the right side of their brains, the feminine side, relatively uncluttered. Kidney had invited Harrington to meet the management and address the expanded Irish squad at their three-day get-together in the Marriott Hotel in Enfield in December.

"Harrington spoke of his attitude towards mistakes and disappointments. Perhaps this contributed to the relatively relaxed atmosphere on match days, even on Grand Slam match day."

David Hands, writing inThe Times, believes that the Six Nations' stunning finale cannot mask the inadequacies of the competing teams.

"That is why we have an enduring love affair with the Six Nations: for the history, the rivalry, the passion of players and supporters, the whole theatrical drama of it all. Does that make it good sport? In practical terms, yes, for its all-embracing qualities, for all those Irish youngsters who now want to emulate Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell rather than listen to tales of Jack Kyle and Karl Mullen, the brightest-eyed of octogenarians but who are pages in the history book since they won Ireland’s only previous grand slam 61 years ago.

"In technical terms, though, this has not been an outstanding tournament. Neither Ireland nor Wales, the best two teams (even if points differential pushed Wales down to fourth), found outstanding form on a consistent basis and there remains a gap in the standards attained here and those of the Sanzar unions. It is less than four months since we were counting the tally from the autumn internationals: Europe 1, Sanzar 10.

"Sure, Scotland had their moments against South Africa; Italy, too, against Australia, while Wales claimed the one scalp, that of Australia by 21-18. Down Under they will have watched the Six Nations and wondered how possession is sometimes slowed to a crawl, how players arrive at the decisions they do, how poor the kick-chase is in Europe and how England fail so frequently to finish what they have started."

Paul Wallace and Kyran Bracken debate the place of Ireland at the head of the Six Nations table in The Guardian.

	Has Declan Kidney forged the best side in the northern hemisphere? © Getty Images

"Wales – if you don't count the performance against Italy from what was essentially a second-string side – are probably capable of playing the best rugby in the northern hemisphere and England looked very good against France. But Ireland have shown so far that they have the best team, a great bunch of old pros who have benefited from an injection of youth, power and pace. They remind me very much of Argentina at the last World Cup, with game-breakers all over the side, and the youthful exuberance has rubbed off on people such as Peter Stringer and Gordon D'Arcy who look revitalised.

"They have phenomenal discipline on the pitch and a great appetite for doing the hard yards. The way they have been playing has not been pretty of late but if you have waited 61 years for a grand slam you will put up with that.

"During the first game against France I thought they played some excellent rugby, with their heads up and always looking to offload, but the pressure is coming on and they are having to do it the hard way. There have been some great moments and magic – even in a dour game against Scotland Stringer's fast break was absolutely exceptional and set up Jamie Heaslip's try."

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."

Wales coach Shaun Edwards shares France boss Marc Lievremont's worries about a Friday night Six Nations game in his blog for The Guardian.

"It is something of a rarity to have opposing coaches agree over anything before a Test match, but there is common ground between Wales and France before tonight's international in Paris – both camps have doubts about playing Test rugby on Friday nights.

"Marc Lièvremont was first into action nine days ago. The French coach was adamant: every Six Nations rugby match should be played on a Saturday at 3pm. He said he didn't like evening games and they were bad for the players who had to wait throughout the day, losing energy and getting stressed.

"More to the point, he was upset that his side should be involved in the first Friday night match in Six Nations history after a league weekend when all his potential match-day squad would be involved in Top 14 action – particularly the Toulouse and Clermont players, who last Sunday night staged a re-run of the 2008 final. Lièvremont's point was that nine of the French squad from the game against Scotland, assuming they would do only light work until Wednesday, would have only a couple of days to prepare for a pivotal game.

"Lièvremont's concern rang bells in the Welsh camp. The sympathy Warren Gatland showed the French coach when the matter was raised later that week was based firmly on our experiences with the short turnaround between opening the championship at Murrayfield and playing England. Given only six days between Edinburgh and Cardiff, Warren gambled, more or less resting the guys until the Thursday before the match."

Stephen Jones, writing in his Rolling Maul blog for The Times, rescinds his view that Ronan O'Gara cannot cut it at the top level of international competition.

"Ireland have also been stunningly, outrageously fortunate that he has remained so free of injury. There has been total lack of credible fly-half contenders, David Humphreys apart, and even now, as O’Gara reaches 90 caps, the next fly half into the team in the event of O’Gara breaking his leg would be O’Gara playing with a broken leg.

"My low rating was based on what I saw as an unambitious young player who lay as deep as Davy Jones’s locker and who often seemed to be happy to kick just enough penalty goals to ensure that the score for Munster or Ireland was one point more than the opposition. I have seen games where his defence was poor, where he could have expanded and did not, or failed to kill off a game and then found his team beaten. I also felt that when he did try to run the ball he looked thoroughly uncomfortable.

"That was then. These days I find him a masterly operator. There is no shortage of outstanding fly halves around but I would take him on the Lions tour. His range of kicks is vast and, in a sense, old-fashioned. So few fly halves these days can drop kicks on the head of a shaky defender to land at the same time as the chasers, even long punting is a lost art that he retains. He is also a man you would back for that knee-knocking late place kick to win. Last season against Wasps at Thomond Park it was as if he had the match on a length of string, so uncanny was his anticipation."

The Gaelic Athletic Association are being urged to keep Croke Park open for Six Nations business beyond next year's deadline, writes Peter Jackson in the Daily Mail.

"For all the historical enmity built into its walls towards the British - and English in particular - God Save the Queen was given more respect on the occasion of the England match there two years ago than it is given in Edinburgh or Cardiff. The change of thinking, as articulated by GAA president Nickey Brennan, points to the venue staying in a ball game which they never imagined would darken their doors.

"A 'yes' vote in April would put the IRFU in a difficult and potentially embarrassing position when it comes to the location of future home fixtures against England, given the high level of demand for tickets. Lansdowne Road will have 50,000 seats but Croke Park has 82,500. Quite why the IRFU chose not to increase capacity beyond a figure which will make it small compared to Twickenham, Cardiff, Murrayfield and Paris is for another time."

Writing in the Independent, Peter Bills tears into the northern hemisphere's willingness to put aside competing on the international stage in favour of raking in the cash.

"This large helping of humble pie at every rugby man's table in the northern hemisphere should herald a re-think, a study of why the game in this part of the world has again been left behind by the southern hemisphere.

"But it won't. When you put weekends in Rome, Paris and London ahead of the actual product on the field, when you study only your own bank balances and ignore the fare presented in front of you, there can be no proper judgement made by the countries of the northern hemisphere. All that matters in this part of the world is money, the filthy lucre. If that is swilling around and the national Unions and clubs are filling their snouts at the trough, then all is well. Nor does it seem to bother the patrons that they're largely watching second grade stuff most of the time.

"At least Wales were in the hunt for 40 minutes in Cardiff. They understood the need for fast, second phase ruck ball and off-loading in the tackle to have any hope of playing the modern game successfully. England, five years to the day after they won the World Cup, weren't at the party at Twickenham against the World Champions for half that time whilst France were inferior in Paris. All this tells a revealing story. The northern hemisphere has been studying its own navel, content with the view, for too long. This autumn Test series has underlined that all is far from well with the game in this part of the world."

Brian Moore was impressed by both Munster and Leinster in the latest Heineken Cup clashes. Read his latest offering for the Daily Telegraph.

"A dominant performance by Leinster swept Wasps aside as comprehensively as you are likely to see a Wasps side beaten. In the pre-match build-up, the commentators billed it as the clash of two world rugby stars - Brian O'Driscoll and Danny Cipriani; hardly apposite. It says much that Cipriani's celebrity has affected even experienced rugby observers. It was a convenient opening hook, but can anyone seriously make a case for the bracketing of the two?

"As it was, Cipriani had to deal with ball on the back foot, whilst O'Driscoll turned in a performance of the kind which was all too absent last year; one which made you sit up and applaud irrespective of allegiance.

"Whatever O'Driscoll's status with regards to captaincy, Ireland need him to be fit and on form; against Wasps he looked the former, but not the latter; failing to emerge for the second half with a knee injury."

The Sunday Times publishes extracts from Ronan O'Gara's autobiography where the Ireland and Munster fly-half offers an insight into his side's 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign.

"Georgia was a disaster. Humiliating. They killed us up front. We lost too many collisions. The ruck area was a shambles. Every time we took the ball into contact it was slow coming back. At that stage it was about knocking their heads off. Half of that is technique, half of it is mental. Having the edge to go and do it. There's a phrase in rugby: Hammer the hammer. When their big men are carrying the ball you drive them back. One guy hits him and then another hits him. We weren't doing it.

"When we let Georgia into the game they grew another few inches. The crowd got behind the underdogs and they came lashing into us. They had a limited game plan but it was hugely effective. As a top team should we have been able to counter that? Absolutely.

"Things got heated in the second half. Drico ate the head off Peter Stringer for their intercept try. I had a go at Issac Boss near the end. People were shouting at the pack to sort themselves out. It was a bad scene. In that situation you don't have time to think about the big picture. All you're thinking about is the next re-start, the next possession, the next tackle. My head was fit to explode.

"Losing that match would have been the lowest point in the history of Irish rugby. Winning that match felt like the lowest point in the history of Irish rugby."