Writing in The Irish Independent, Hugh Farrelly expresses concern at the continuing injury woes for Ireland's Keith Earls.

"Earls cannot compete with the leviathans of the game. By normal standards, the Moyross man, at 5ft 11ins and 14 stone, is not small but, in rugby terms, he is slight and it makes him vulnerable, particularly as he is not a player to shirk from any physical challenge.

"With the load going through my body, the (groin) injury was bound to come," said Earls last month. "The physios are telling me that my body is not fully developed yet, my pelvis and core are still developing and my body is not quite strong enough yet for the workload I have been going through."

"There are plenty of examples of prodigiously talented players whose careers were bedevilled by injury. Ireland flanker Eric Miller won 48 caps between 1997 and 2005 and would have won many more -- including Test starts for the Lions -- but for consistent injury problems. Jonny Wilkinson was unavailable to play for England for 1,169 days after steering them to the World Cup in 2003 as he reeled from a succession of blows to his knee, arm, shoulder and kidney.

"It should be the fervent hope of everyone with a vested interest in Irish rugby that Earls' career does not continue to be characterised by time on the treatment table and that this gifted young player is afforded a sustained run of fitness. It starts with a scan on Monday."

Connacht wing Fionn Carr © Getty Images

Hugh Farrelly looks at Irish rugby's perennial problem, the continuing development of Connacht, in The Irish Independent.

"New season, same old problem: what do we do with Connacht? Black sheep, Cinderella province, Prodigal son -- the hackneyed descriptions have been constant companions for more than 10 years and seem destined to remain so, with optimism out west continuing to be rooted more in hope than expectation.

"Michael Bradley put in a seven-year shift as Connacht coach which did not receive the credit it deserved and his successor Eric Elwood is now getting to grips with the realities of a daunting challenge, with the on-pitch aspect kicking off against the Dragons at home on Saturday week.

"He expects to be without six front-liners through injury -- notably captain John Muldoon, who broke his arm on Ireland's summer tour -- and aside from No 8 Ezra Taylor, scrum-half Cillian Willis and a handful of promising All-Ireland League recruits, Elwood is working with the same raw materials that saw Connacht finish four points adrift at the bottom of the Magners League table last season."

Paul O'Connell spoke to The Irish Examiner's Charlie Mulqueen about his long road to recovery from his groin infection.

"The Munster and Lions captain has been sidelined since March due to a mysterious bone infection in the groin area that defied the best efforts of the medics to diagnose and treat. The problem was eventually identified and thus began a lengthy treatment process which kept O’Connell wrapped in cotton wool for much of the summer. But over the last five weeks the Limerick man has made huge strides, to the delight of provincial and national management and fans alike. Understandably after a season of setbacks, he isn’t announcing return dates just yet.

"O’Connell said: "Once we got rid of the infection, things started improving. I have a scan every two weeks and it shows the bone healing. Once the bone heals, I can get back doing most stuff. But then I have to get a pre-season into me.

"I’ve been back doing weights now for five weeks. Prior to that I’d been on antibiotics for a long time and wasn’t able to do that. It’s nice to be back training again even if I’m not doing all the stuff on the pitch that the lads are doing. It’s nice to be working hard in the gym, you feel like you’re earning your wages!

"I’m off all the treatment now but I’ve tried to avoid setting targets for my return. The injury is so unusual that I could make great gains but all of a sudden things could slow down. The improvements over the last two or three weeks have been good and I hope that continues. But I have no doubt there are going to be one or two hiccups along the way. It’s frustrating enough as it is without targeting a game and missing it."

Paul O'Connell will again captain Munster for the coming season but is unlikely to be back on the playing field until December. The Irish Times Ian Bransfield reports.

"The 30-year-old lock has been sidelined since picking up a groin infection last March, and though able to participate in light training, he admits he is almost certain to miss out on Munster’s opening Heineken Cup exchanges as well as Ireland’s autumn international series.

"O’Connell was in Limerick yesterday as Toyota announced the extension of their partnership with Munster, a deal worth €5.75 million over the next three years.

"And the Limerickman has resigned himself to spending another three months on the sidelines. “I’ll be setting my sights around December, and anything else would be a bonus,” said O’Connell. “I went back running 10 days ago, and I’ve had no problems. I need to go about 12 weeks from when I stopped the antibiotics and get back into the heavy stuff, so I’m about eight and a half weeks into that now. It’s flying along at the moment. It was really slow at the start, but it’s getting quicker now and going very well.”

Leinster under Josef Schmidt is an appreciably different environment to that of the previous coach, Michael Cheika, according to the Irish Times.

"New Zealander Schmidt will begin his reign on Friday night at Donnybrook with a friendly against Wasps. He has named a relatively youthful squad bolstered by a couple of marquee names returning from injury in Luke Fitzgerald and Seán O’Brien, amongst others, but even for those now just training and not playing the coach has already made a positive impression.

Jennings elaborated on one aspect. “I think Michael (Cheika) was quite an intense character, who worked very, very hard and nearly ran the place like a business: he had a business background and that’s the way he was, whereas Joe is probably a bit calmer from first impressions.

“In talking to Isa (Nacewa, who Schmidt coached at Auckland Blues) he just massively loves the game more than everything else and that comes across in training when he’s running around the whole time, reffing games and playing games."

Gavin Cummiskey of the Irish Times looks forward to the first game to be played at the new Lansdowne Road.

"Come 2.30pm this afternoon rugby returns to its ancestral home. It was December 31st, 2006, that a rugby ball, or any ball for that matter, was last kicked around Lansdowne Road. The ground has since been modernised and rechristened the Aviva Stadium, with today’s O2 Challenge seeing a combined Connacht/Munster selection face a Leinster/Ulster equivalent.

"All the players on show will be under-20, many of them the best talent to come from the schools game in the past 12 months, but it should be pointed out that of the 44, only 10 are presently contracted to provincial academies as pre-season training has prohibited the cream of young Irish talent being showcased on the first historic outing.

"This is a shame and a missed opportunity with this date only really being utilised so the IRFU could ensure that rugby was the first sport in the new stadium, not soccer."

Denis Leamy feared for his future in rugby as he battled to come back from the devastating injury which sidelined him last season. The Irish Independent's Phil Cadden reports.

"Leamy, who has previously undergone two shoulder operations, is targeting a pre-season return to training and insists he will be raring to go for the Magners League opener against Italian newboys Aironi in six weeks' time.

"I'm not quite 100 per cent but I'm getting there. I only started running six weeks ago but it's good to be back. I'm no stranger to being on the sidelines and it is frustrating. The amount of time and then the boredom of having to stick to a programme made this the most difficult of all the injuries.

"But I've managed to dig it out and all the hard work seems to have paid off. It's a massive lift for me to be back in training. My aim is to start the season."

"Before then, Leamy, along with the injured Irish stars such as Paul O'Connell, Rory Best and Stephen Ferris, who missed the summer tour to Australasia, will meet up with head coach Declan Kidney for a one-day camp in Enfield.

"And the 41-cap star, who hasn't figured for the national side since the convincing victory over Fiji last autumn, believes the call-up is a big boost with the World Cup only 14 months away."

Eamonn Sweeney reflects on Ireland's 1979 tour to Australia and finds little reason for the current crop to hope in The Irish Independent.

"I remember the 1979 Irish rugby tour of Australia very well. It came at a time when I was beginning to take a big interest in rugby, so much so that I kept a scrapbook of the newspaper reports. And my interest was richly rewarded because it was the most dramatic of tours.

"For a start, it saw the extraordinary decision to drop Tony Ward, Ireland's star player and one of the most popular sportsmen in the country, from the Test team and replace him at out-half with Ollie Campbell, who had slipped into obscurity after receiving a single cap for Ireland three years earlier.

"Campbell then proved the decision correct with a record 19 points in Ireland's 27-12 victory in the first Test, that most exciting of scrum-halves Colin Patterson completing the points total with two trademark tries."

Ireland should ideally have at least three players per position and, following the recent tour, they are closer to that goal than ever before, writes the Irish Times' Gerry Thornley.

"Given Ireland play Scotland, France (twice) and England in the August before the 2011 World Cup, casualties are inevitable and Ireland should ideally have at least three players per position, or alternatively a notional base of 45-plus.

"They are a little closer to that now than ever before though it would help if the IRFU took a leaf out of the Australian manual (who are now adding on a fifth ‘Super’ franchise) and allowed Connacht to be competitive rather than use them to prop up the other three. Irish rugby is handicapping itself there.

"Of course the primary purpose of the tour was to register an overdue Tri Nations scalp in the Southern Hemisphere. That’s how it was sold to us and it didn’t happen, and the All Blacks game will remain an embarrassment. It was very unlike a [Declan] Kidney team to appear so tame, a Gert Smal pack so disorganised and a defence under [Les] Kiss which was caught so flat-footed. But one ventures nothing like it will ever happen again; perhaps these past few results have been a step back in order to take a couple forward. We shall see."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Peter Bills fears for the demands on top players like Ireland's Brian O'Driscoll.

"I thought of a player like O'Driscoll when I listened to the words of self-congratulations coming from the IRB when they announced that longer-term tours, something like the old-fashioned variety, were coming back. Great, said most people in the game. Wonderful; another link with tradition restored.

"But it will only be great for the best players, like O'Driscoll, if it means they aren't going to be driven even harder. If some recompense is to be made for the fact that they may need to play in a three-Test series in the southern hemisphere in June, where will the slack be cut in the preceding months?

"The fact is, if the return of so-called 'traditional' tours means loading ever more commitments onto the shoulders of the world's greatest players, all the IRB will be doing is hastening their demise. And from where I sit, that doesn't look a terribly clever idea."

Gerry Thornley, writing in The Irish Times, believes that Ireland must build on the few positives from their recent southern hemisphere tour.

"When Ireland bridged a 61-year gap to win the Grand Slam just over a year ago, they did so with a brand of rugby that was clever, pragmatic and saw Irish rugby reach its holy grail. Of the six teams competing in the Six Nations, Ireland kicked the ball the most, and passed the least. They made a virtue of rolling with the punches for long stretches and then stealthily making the most of their forays upfield. It delivered in spades.

"After years of relative underachievement for team Ireland, marked by Triple Crowns and a continuing succession of World Cup failures, that campaign ensured a golden generation would not retire with an empty feeling of underachievement.

"Even so, the feeling also lurked then that this rugby probably wouldn’t be ambitious enough to make an impact at the World Cup and that the Slam might be the peak for a vintage crop. Little about the intervening 15 months or so have dispelled either view, while perhaps there’s also been evidence of second season syndrome."

The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly assesses a tour on which he incurred Kiwi wrath and watched Ireland lose all three games, but saw promising signs.

"Spirit: The intangible quality that shone through strongly on this trip. It may seem like a straw-clutching exercise to point to good morale and camaraderie when all three matches were lost but, given what transpired in New Plymouth, the Maori and Australia games would have been a lot worse without it.

"...New Plymouth: Nothing to do with the scenery, warmth of welcome or vitriolic response to the piece in these pages questioning the dubious levels of diversion on a wet Thursday night. Rather, it is in terms of facilities for fans that you would question New Plymouth's capabilities of being a proper World Cup venue. Accommodation is relatively sparse and a three-hour wait for a taxi on match night is unacceptable. They have a year to sort it out."

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley reflects on Ireland's loss to Australia in Brisbane.

"The Ireland team which finished this game had five of the side which won the Churchill Cup 12 months ago. From Colorado to Brisbane, Ireland have completed a circuitous journey. The record books will show a 24th successive defeat to the big three below the equator, but to come within a score of a Tri-Nations team in the Southern Hemisphere with what was essentially a Magners League pack, two weeks after shipping 66 points, wasn’t too shabby.

"At one stoppage in the final quarter, Andrew Trimble was hobbling on the far wing, Shane Jennings was down and being treated, while Jonathan Sexton was having his knee strapped, which meant Geordan Murphy took the penalty to touch. For much of a pointless second half, they were running on empty."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Tony Ward believes Ireland have no reason to fear Australia at the World Cup.

"Both teams were severely depleted so in a sense it was 'even steven'. No Irish redemption on that count. It was in effect the Emerging Wallabies v Ireland 'A' but with full caps on offer. They come with Rice Krispies packs today anyway. That said, and although their scrum has come on leaps and bounds, the Wallaby squad appears a long way short of the big two -- South Africa and New Zealand -- in terms of strength in depth.

"On the plus side for Ireland, there was little hard evidence to suggest that the Wallabies will take top spot in the World Cup pool as a matter of course. They will be favoured, but it is no foregone conclusion. For Declan Kidney, this represented a dogged and fighting end to a difficult tour. They were tired and it showed."

Brendan Fanning reflects on a disappointing end to an underwhelming season for Ireland in The Irish Independent.

"In a corporate box next door to our position in Suncorp Stadium last night, there was a TV tuned into the game we were watching. Handy for replays and that sort of thing.

"Long before the finish they had changed the channel. To a rugby league game between South Sydney and Melbourne. You might think this remarkable in a match where the margin was only seven points. It wasn't hard to understand though -- this was awful stuff. Two understrength teams: one of them knackered; the other so far removed from where they want to be as to make the Tri Nations a fearful prospect for them.

"What happens in that competition is for Robbie Deans to worry about. Declan Kidney has enough on his plate. It makes no sense to pan a team for playing so poorly when they are so far removed from a first-choice selection. At one stage in the second half, when Donncha O'Callaghan went to the blood bin and Dan Tuohy came on, you looked at the make-up of the Irish pack and wondered how this group could be on active service in a Test match."

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley fears the team's faithful supporters will not get their wish of win against the Wallabies in Brisbane.

"In keeping with previous treks to Australia, amid the Friday night buzz of downtown Brisbane there was a palpable sense of another impending Green Army invasion. The ex-pats have converged like moths to a flame, from all corners of Australia and even Singapore and no doubt beyond.

"Tricolours not only bedecked plenty of bars around town but apartments too on roads leading to Suncorp Stadium in Milton to the north of the city. Any Irish person living in “Briz” tells of every floor space being taken up. The Irish are coming. It should all make for a cracking sense of occasion.

"Suncorp, home to the Queensland rugby league and lately union sides, has almost sold out to its 52,000 capacity. Yesterday the ground echoed to the Irish kickers familiarising themselves with the steepling stands, which lend weight to Les Kiss’s “lunchbox” description of the stadium.

"Ronan O’Gara appeared more animated than Jonathan Sexton, perhaps as the pressure is off him to a degree, but he must be in a strange place. On 99 caps, he is set to become only the third Irish player to reach a century, yet won’t know if today will be the day."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Tony Ward is heartened by a recall for Paddy Wallace for the clash with Australia.

"But the most revealing selection of all is in midfield, where Paddy Wallace's deserved inclusion represents a serious statement of creative intent. Much like Kidney, I am a midfield romantic.

"The desire is clearly there. Provided it is backed for the final 80 minutes of the season by the appropriate level of commitment, then, in spite of the odds being stacked against us, it is not beyond the bounds that Macker's tales of derring-do could finally be laid to rest. Here's hoping."

Hugh Farrelly talks to Ireland's defence coach Les Kiss as his side prepare to play a vital final Test of the season against the Wallabies in Brisbane in The Irish Independent.

"It's been a tough old tour for Les Kiss.Ireland's defence coach has had to put up with being locked in a lift for an hour and a half, a back injury following a training exercise that went wrong and, most painfully, having to watch his system being dismantled 12 times in two matches.

"Nine tries conceded against the All Blacks, three more against the Maori -- it does not make happy reading for a man who masterminded a miserly defensive record that saw Ireland pick up a Grand Slam and travel through 2009 unbeaten. In the 18 internationals prior to the All Blacks Test, Ireland had conceded just 16 tries and then they let in nine in one go."

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley shares Ireland team manager Paul McNaughton's memories of beating the Australia in 1979.

"Admittedly, tours weren’t as commonplace in those days, but even so Ireland have played 23 Tests against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere since then and have lost the lot.

"There hasn’t even been any respite in Argentina, where Ireland also two lost Tests in 2007, as well as one in 2000, not to mention two defeats in Namibia in 1991 prior to the World Cup.

"McNaughton played in seven of the eight matches on that ’79 tour, and reckons Fergus Slattery and Mike Gibson played all eight.

“You have this impression that amateur rugby in those days was just going from one pub to another, and then the match was kind of a weekend addendum. I’ve talked to a lot of guys about this and I’ve certainly never experienced it like that, on this (1979) trip especially.”

At the last count, of the 36 players to have played for Ireland in nine Tests in the 2009-10 season, 13 have been ruled out of the season finale against the Wallabies at the Suncorp Stadium on Saturday. The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley writes.

"With David Wallace flying home to be with is wife, Aileen, for the birth of their second child, seven of them are backrowers.

"While there’s no accounting for the latter development, or the suspension of Jamie Heaslip, if nothing else one ventures this season and this tour has been a reminder to the Irish coaching staff that the attrition rate is often highest among the loose forwards.

"Accordingly, it ought to have reminded them of the need to include six backrowers in their 30-man squad for next year’s World Cup. In addition to the aforementioned two, Stephen Ferris, Denis Leamy, Seán O’Brien, Kevin McLaughlin, Donncha Ryan and John Muldoon are missing."

Living out of a suitcase for a protracted period of time has certain undesirable consequences, not least for your personal grooming The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly reports from his travel with the Ireland team in Brisbane.

"Elan, Men's Hair And Body boasts a comprehensive male grooming service, far removed from the in-and-out, "have you booked any holidays yet?" dry-cut service we are accustomed to in Ireland.

"According to the flyers, Elan "provides a total solution for men who want to look professional, feel confident and seek a distinct style" -- so far, so alluring. However, it was the next part of Elan's pitch that really grabbed the attention.

"Elan is equipped with televisions to keep the modern man up to date on all the financial news and sport, wireless internet connections for the man on the move and a selection of exclusively roasted coffees, gourmet juices and ... cold beers."

"Who said the Aussies didn't have culture?"

Wales' hammering by the All Blacks has put things into perspective for Ireland according to The Irish Independent.

"Although the statistics of two defeats, 12 tries conceded, injuries and suspension would suggest otherwise, there have been positive aspects to Ireland's summer trip to the southern hemisphere, which concludes against the Wallabies next weekend.

"The four tries scored with 14 men against the All Blacks was put into perspective by Wales' failure to score one with a full complement, while the Welsh losing margin was only five points better than the Irish.

"Ireland's subsequent performance against the Maori -- overwhelming favourites -- would, but for a shaky start, undoubtedly have brought victory and the Irish again showed their capacity to play high-tempo, heads-up rugby -- vital if they are to make a meaningful impression at the World Cup next year."

Protection of hurting, brave Irishmen must come before results, writes George Hook in the Irish Independent.

"The tour has been saved, trumpeted the experts. The team had shown the character necessary to fight back against the Maori and the group could now travel to Brisbane in good heart ready to take the fight to the Wallabies. However, it would be a tragedy were Ireland to beat Australia, because it would disguise problems for the game that have not seen the light of day. A victory for Ireland would disprove, the apologists will say, the theory that players are in the grip of fatigue, playing when hurt and risking long-term physical and mental damage.

"Brian O'Driscoll, 24 hours before he was due to line out against the All Blacks in a Test, was not fit to take part in the captain's run. An attack of vertigo we were told was the problem. The symptoms of vertigo -- ringing in the ears and dizziness -- are coincidentally the same for concussion. Ireland's greatest, and indeed the bravest player of all time, has played below his best this season. Not a match has taken place that he has not received on-field treatment. But worryingly, all too often he has looked dazed and not fully aware of his surroundings after yet another trademark hit in defence of his country's sporting honour."

The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly believes Ireland's improved performance in defeat to the New Zealand Maori bodes well for their next Test clash against Australia.

"Once again the cards did not fall Ireland's way. Red and yellow cards scuppered their chances against the All Blacks but it was Mark Lawrence's failure to produce yellow that cost them this time around.

"He penalised the Maori five times in succession for breakdown indiscretions yet incredibly no one was sent to the bin. With Ireland dominant, playing against 14 men would have allowed Geordan Murphy's side to go for the jugular.

"They will look at defensive lapses for the tries -- 12 now conceded in two games -- when Hosea Gear and Dwayne Sweeney took advantage of space on the left for the first-half efforts and substitute Karl Lowe rounded off a move that began with a quick throw-in in the Maori half for the third on 64 minutes.

"They will also examine key failures in the last 10 minutes, a kick to touch that went out on the full and a lineout penalty that could have been avoided when they were pushing for a winning score."

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley believes Ireland's narrow defeat to the New Zealand Maori was one that got away.

"Grasping for tackles and trailing 18-3 before the first quarter was over, Ireland’s dirt-trackers played themselves into a winning position, only to let it slip in losing to the Maoris 31-28 in Rotarua yesterday. They move on to Brisbane acutely disappointed, but with a revived spring in their step.

"Save for that slightly scary start, which promised yet more of the usual pain in the land of the long white cloud, the body language, the attitude and the line speed and leg strength in contact, especially in defence, and use of possession was far better than last Saturday’s grim night in New Plymouth against the All Blacks."

Friday night's meeting with the New Zealand Maori is possibly the toughest match Ireland could have squeezed into their schedule between facing the All Blacks and the Wallabies. Gerry Thornley writes in the Irish Times.

"Everything about the way the Maoris points to them playing with a high-tempo approach similar to the All Blacks. Ready as they claim to have been for this, Irish players didn’t seem particularly alert to quick throws and taps last week.

"Adapting to the relentless recycling and ball-in-hand rugby which now reins hereabouts is one thing, but Ireland’s defence was also badly exposed. In addition to sharpening their re-alignment and line speed, Ireland also need to sharpen up their breakdown work and what was a messy lineout.

"By right, Ireland should be hurting, and Joseph expects as much. “I’ve played Ireland myself and I know how passionate they are as a rugby team and a rugby nation,” says Joseph. “I’d say they’ll be hurting and we’ll get it. The guys are aware of that, and if they’re not, they will be by tonight, and if they’re still not, they’ll be made aware of it in the first five minutes mate, don’t you worry,” he says with a broad smile."

No one would question that it has been a tough trip to New Zealand, complete with injuries, a suspension and a nine-try hammering by the All Blacks, but Ireland's Chris Henry is relishing every second. Hugh Farrelly writes in the Irish Independent.

"Henry has been one of the most consistent performers in Irish rugby this season, picking up three Ulster awards in May -- the rugby writers' and supporters' player of the year, as well as the personality of the year award. Yet, he could be considered something of a late bloomer, given that he only broke into the Ulster side the previous year. Handed the captaincy when Rory Best was injured, Henry is deeply frustrated by the way the province's season fell off post-Christmas.

"I only got my first cap for Ulster a year and a half ago, so it's been a whirlwind and I've been loving every minute of it. We're ambitious in Ulster and getting selected for Ireland or Ireland 'A' is a big part of that. Maybe there hasn't been a massive representation from Ulster over the past couple of years because we haven't been winning. If you're an Irish coach, you want your team to be full of winners," he says."

Ireland lock Dan Tuohy takes on the All Blacks' defence © Getty Images

Gerry Thornley talks to Ireland lock Dan Tuohy following his eventful Test debut against the All Blacks last weekend in The Irish Independent.

"There's always been something about debuts and Dan Tuohy, but last Saturday in New Plymouth topped the lot. Less than a minute after replacing the hamstrung Mick O’Driscoll, Tuohy had cleared out a ruck when he followed another side-stepping carry by Andrew Trimble.

"He could hear Ronan O’Gara shouting “they’re not committed to it”, so as Trimble presented the ball Tuohy picked up and went.

“I sometimes get blasted for doing that because I’ve done it before with no support. But I just thought, ‘I have to do something’. When you come on you think you have to do something to get into the game.”

Hugh Farrelly talks to Ireland's latest skipper, fullback Geordan Murphy, about facing up to the haka prior to Friday's meeting with the New Zealand Maori in The Irish Independent.

"The haka promises to be something special when Ireland line up against the New Zealand Maori on Friday night, but it may come as a surprise to the host team to learn that the Irish captain has been on the other side of the fence when it comes to the Maori war dance, writes Hugh Farrelly.

"When he was a student at Newbridge College in Kildare, Geordan Murphy was part of an exchange scheme with Auckland Grammar, a famed rugby school in New Zealand, and during that time performed his share of hakas.

"He went on to face New Zealand's haka eight times, seven with Ireland and once with the Lions in 2005 and it provides a unique insight into the practice and its importance to the Maori culture."

Ireland's Jamie Heaslip is given his marching orders in New Plymouth © Getty Images

Ireland's defeat at the hands of New Zealand was "ugly" in many ways according to the Irish Times' Gerry Thornley.

"Not so much a return to the bad old days as a whole brand new one all to itself, the psychological scars from which would have been even worse were it not for a 14-man effort which saw Ireland respond to a nightmare 38-0 deficit after just 33 minutes to thereafter share four converted tries apiece. Even so, this already daunting tour just became a whole lot longer.

"Ill-discipline, primarily a red card for Jamie Heaslip and mistakes cost them from the off, effectively ending the contest from the 15th minute. Heaslip was sent off by referee Wayne Barnes for, according to the Englishman, deliberate knees to the head, although it wasn’t abundantly clear who the recipient was or, if indeed, he didn’t catch a teammate just as much. The pity is that Ireland were hammering away at the All Blacks line at the time, both Andrew Trimble and Gordon D’Arcy having been held up inches short from making the score 10-7. But instead of game on, it was game over."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Frankie Sheahan believes Jamie Heaslip's sending off should not be used as a smokescreen for Ireland's defeat at the hands of New Zealand.

"You must own the ball and not give it away. Two of the most obvious ones for me though, and which became the biggest problems during the game, were defence and ball retention.

"There is no doubt in my mind that the sending off of Jamie Heaslip and the sin binning of Ronan O'Gara were key moments because New Zealand scored 21 points in that period. However, the main area that really disappointed me was our defence and I would imagine that Les Kiss's defensive video session during the week will be like a scene from The Exorcist."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Hugh Farrelly reports from New Plymouth ahead of Ireland's clash with New Zealand.

"Dutch Gold don't do one-horse towns, but ... Actually, that's a bit unfair, you cannot describe New Plymouth as a one-horse town, given that the horse has long since bolted for a more stimulating existence in the Australian outback.

"It calls itself a city, but New Plymouth (or 'Newtownshambles' as one of the more cynical members of the Irish press corps calls it) is no more than a moderate-sized town and it was a pretty grim place to be on Thursday evening with violent wind and rain coming in off the Tasman Sea.

"The streets are laid out American-style, so your hotel is located "two blocks from the clock tower on the corner of King and Devon, and so on. And the main drag was exactly that, shutters clattering, not a car in sight, and only a few die-hard locals venturing from their homes to ponder their existence over sorrowful pints at various Tumbleweed Arms-type hostelries."

David Kelly talks to legendary All Black Sean Fitzpatrick about Ireland's need to break their duck against New Zealand in The Irish Independent.

"New Zealand's legendary former captain Sean Fitzpatrick has warned Ireland that it is time to put up or shut up as the tourists seek to end their ignominious 105-year winless streak against the All Blacks tomorrow.

"The prodigious ex-hooker was capped a record 92 times for the All Blacks and was first handed the captaincy during the 1992 campaign when Ireland came agonisingly close to ending their unenviable losing streak in that year's first Dunedin test.

"Before and since then, Ireland have played a good game off the pitch, but rarely looked like converting on it, even when Fitzpatrick's long-time understudy Warren Gatland led his side to a significant lead in the 2002 encounter at Lansdowne Road. "Ireland need to go out and play with enthusiasm and put pressure on the All Blacks," declares Fitzpatrick. "And not just for 60 minutes, but for 80 minutes. It's all very good talking about it. It's a different thing to go out and do it."

Hugh Farrelly ponders the ramifications of All Black coach Graham Henry's referee jib in The Irish Independent.

"The weather here may be 'cat' in Irish terms but things are hotting up nicely ahead of Saturday's Test between the All Blacks and Ireland in New Plymouth.

"Despite both camps having to cope with extensive injury lists, allied to a disappointing Super 14 season for the Kiwis and a daunting assignment at the end of a long and arduous season for the Irish, it is fair to say that there is a collective enthusiasm for this encounter.

"New Zealand's first international of the season is always going to excite interest in this oval-obsessed nation, particularly with the clutch of new players in their side, while the prospect of facing the only major international side Ireland have never defeated is a massive incentive for the visitors."

Paul Ackford believes that a northern hemisphere side must win on tour this summer to keep alive any semblance of pride in The Daily Telegraph.

"Since that visit, which encouraged the self-belief which led to global dominance two months later, England’s record has been execrable: a 51-15 defeat in Brisbane in 2004, followed by two Tests in 2006 which England lost 34-3 in Sydney and 43-18 in Melbourne.

"Yet, incredibly, England are the success story here. Wales have never won a Test match in New Zealand, Ireland have never beaten the All Blacks and last triumphed in Australia way back in 1979, and Scotland’s record against Argentina stands at two victories from 10 outings.

"That’s the reality right there. For all the smug self-congratulation at the commercial success of the Six Nations championship, for all the inflated salaries which the top players earn in this part of the world, when it comes to winning Test matches on the other side of the planet, we’re no bloody good."

Tony Buckley sees the tour of New Zealand as his big chance © Getty Images

Tony Buckley sees the tour to New Zealand as his big chance to break out of the shadow of John Hayes at the age of 29 in the Irish Independent.

"It's one thing doing all the physical training but it's also tough mentally, like. I think a lot of the lads have had a long season and the bodies are showing the signs of it. I think we've all had injuries this season. I tore my calf in October but luckily only missed three weeks. I played through the [recent] knee and only missed one match. I'm so lucky compared to the likes of Paulie and Earlsy - terrible.

"It's up to me to take the opportunity when I'm given it," he says. "Hopefully I'll get another start out of the three games, which would be great for me. If I do get a start, it's up to me to stake my claim."

Tony Ward is excited by the arrival of the Barbarians in Ireland and also by the opportunity for several youngsters to show their worth in The Irish Independent.

"What Eusebio and Pele did in selling the beautiful game to the watching world in 1966 and '70, Gareth Edwards did for rugby in '73.

"To this day, the Welsh scrum-half's third-minute length-of-the-field touch-down for the Barbarians against the All Blacks is still held universally as the greatest try of all time.

"It was the day rugby really registered. Bear in mind that, unlike soccer, there were no four-yearly Rugby World Cups back then. Probably the only equivalent oval-ball event was when the British and Irish Lions went on tour, specifically to New Zealand or South Africa."

Ireland have an opportunity against the All Blacks © Getty Images

Hugh Farrelly, writing in The Irish Independent, believes that Ireland must be positive as they head off on a daunting tour to New Zealand and Australia.

"When Declan Kidney was cutting his coaching teeth with the U-15s at PBC Cork in the mid-1980s, he would begin each campaign with a squad meeting and a blackboard.

"On it were set out the goals for the season. Number two on the list was always "win the Munster Schools Junior Cup", which one would have assumed deserved top billing, but never got it -- for that was always taken up by the simple instruction to "enjoy yourselves".

"Between 1983 and 1988, Pres won five out of six Junior Cups, at which point Kidney took his blackboard up to the U-18s and, after two semi-final defeats in 1989 and 1990, Kidney won the next three Senior Schools titles in a row.

"It is a simple philosophy and one that Kidney has adhered to throughout his highly successful career -- enjoyment and victory go hand-in-hand -- and one he will employ on Ireland's summer tour to New Zealand and Australia over the next month."

Brian O'Driscoll reflects on Leinster's defeat to the Ospreys © PA

Gerry Thornley believes that time may be running out for Ireland's 'golden generation' after a barren year in The Irish Times.

"They weren’t that far away, but injuries to key men, even the slightest dilution of desire after reaching so many promised lands in recent years and improvements by others took a toll (and it doesn’t help when, on top of Ireland playing in Paris, both Leinster and Munster were drawn away in France in the semi-finals).

"The future doesn’t look like getting easier any time soon though. French clubs, backed by multi-millionaire benefactors, have strengthened their hand to the point that Biarritz and Stade Français have become mid-table also rans. Leicester have a Munster-like culture and both Northampton and Saracens are coming forces, as are the Welsh, and especially the Ospreys and Cardiff Blues.

"The golden generation, and they truly have been, have a few more big games in them. But this season has perhaps marked the beginning of the end of an era, with the next World Cup and the 2011-12 season marking something of a watershed."

Tony Ward believes that Ireland's barren season is the wake-up call they need prior to next season's World Cup in The Irish Independent.

"From trophy-laden heroes to empty-cabinet zeros. Having swept the boards in a 2009 winning feast, taking the Grand Slam, Six Nations, Triple Crown, Heineken Cup, Magners League and Churchill Cup, 2010 has made for the inevitable hangover -- the famine after the feast.

"Realistically, could it ever have been any other way? Inevitably, when you win everything the only way is down. It took little by way of rocket science to predict that last year's sweep would be a difficult act to follow.

"For such a relatively small but sports-daft nation, we set ourselves some sky high standards. That, as Keith Wood, Roy Keane, Brian O'Driscoll and others of that ilk will tell you, is no bad thing. We do need to set our standards high, but they must be grounded in reality."

David Kelly evaluates the painful end to Leinster's season following defeat to the Ospreys in The Irish Independent.

"This wasn't how it was supposed to end. The script of Saturday's season-ending finale was ripped to shreds piece by painful piece, the slow dismantling of Leinster's faltering at their final hurdle an excruciating spectacle to watch from the first spilled ball to coach Michael Cheika's final, dispiriting exit.

"So, unlike last season, only Tommy Bowe and Geordan Murphy will carry medals into the Irish camp; after last season's unsurpassed haul, one suspects the pair won't be dangling the silverware from their necks.

"It was a typical cup final, secured by the side who made the least amount of errors, or at least the side who managed to stem their flow much earlier than the opposition. Leinster were quite simply awful and yet they could have snatched it had Jonathan Sexton not dragged his late kick to the left."

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley believes the inaugural Magners League play-offs have been a huge success and thinks Leinster will get the better of the Ospreys in the season finale.

"Even before a ball has been kicked proponents of a play-off system to the Magners League have been belatedly vindicated. Last season, Munster’s success (two nights before the little matter of their Croker Euro semi-final defeat to Leinster) registered at about 0.01 on the rugby Richter scale and scarcely prompted a glass of Babycham.

"This evening, as in domestic finals in France, England and Italy, the champagne is at the ready, and sponsors, organisers, financial secretaries and supporters alike have a climax befitting a major competition.

"Nor could they have asked for a better pairing. First versus second, with the former rightly earning home advantage, not only brings together the most deserving finalists but sides laden with individual talent, much of it indigenous too."

The Irish Independent's David Kelly thinks some of Ireland's leading names will soon be heading to the continent.

"Perhaps now we know why leading Irish rugby stars like Brian O'Driscoll and Ronan O'Gara have spoken so endearingly of potentially leaving Ireland to take up lucrative contracts in France following next year's World Cup.

"For, if the recent revelations are correct concerning the IRFU's scything of national contracts for older players coming to the end of existing deals, then the leading lights of the golden generation -- O'Driscoll, O'Gara and Paul O'Connell -- could be in for a rude awakening when they sit down with IRFU top brass to thrash out new playing contracts next year.

"And you can be sure that clubs all over Europe and beyond -- Jamie Heaslip, for example, has spoken of his desire to spend a year in the Super 14 -- from Toulon to Toulouse and Leicester to Wasps, will have their ears pricked should Irish rugby's gravy train jolt to a shuddering halt."

Will Leinster fullback Rob Kearney prove the star of the show in Saturday's Magners League finale? © Getty Images

Leinster fullback Rob Kearney is safe under the high ball, but he is also well-versed in Leinster's running game, writes the Irish Times' Johnny Watterson.

"There he is, Rob Kearney down beside the pitch at Old Wesley. He's making the television cameras love him. He's smiling in the sun. Sinéad Kissane from TV3 is grinning. Radio is lined up to the side. Everyone is looking. Kearney stares at the camera directly through heavy eyebrows.

"He stands straight and walks with all of his six feet one inch, 15-stone frame; talks with certainty and plays with a mix of fearlessness and swagger."

The end of an era is nigh, although departing Leinster coach Michael Cheika contends it is merely the start of a new one. Gerry Thornley writes in The Irish Times.

"End-of-season farewells are commonplace nowadays and yesterday the normally redoubtable Bernard Jackman explained how injuries have forced him to concentrate fully on coaching with Clontarf from next season onwards. Leinster also confirmed in addition to Cheika, defensive coach Kurt McQuilkin, consultant coach Alan Gaffney, the retiring Girvan Dempsey, Malcolm O’Kelly and Jackman, Chris Keane is also retiring while CJ van der Linde is returning home.

"Despite all this, typical of Cheika’s ultra professional and highly- rewarding five-year reign, sentiment will play little or no part in the build-up to this final. “I think we’ve been divorced from it. There was certainly no sentiment at the end of training when there were a few errors made. If we fall off against the Ospreys even for a couple of minutes we’ll pay. We can’t train like that at all; this game is about winning a final more than anything else. I don’t want it to be any other way and I don’t think anybody else wants to be any other way,” said Cheika."

Brendan Fanning recaps the Leinster career of coach Michael Cheika as the Australian prepares to leave the province for Paris in The Irish Independent.

"What started for Michael Cheika against the Ospreys in September 2005 will finish against the same opposition in the RDS on Saturday.

Back then he was in charge for his first competitive game for Leinster, a coach with no experience of that level of rugby, compounded by a fuse that was so short that in time he became the talk of the refereeing fraternity.

He leaves next month for Stade Francais with five years of priceless experience in his kitbag. And after another few seasons in Paris, the Aussies will lure him home for one job or another. Before too long we will come across him at a Test venue, where he will be tuned into a Wallaby headset."

Liam Toland considers the impact of the free to air debate on player welfare, writing in The Irish Times.

"As players are five to nine times more likely to be injured playing a match than at training, the IRFU have managed to keep our best alive and well by restricting games. Allied to this, the Magners League (with top-four format) is manageable for our best provinces while resting key players. The Guinness Premiership and Top 14 are a tad less forgiving.

"It is only looking back at the accumulative effect of pro rugby on our elite players over a decade that a true picture of the stress and strain can be analysed. Malcolm O’Kelly will retire this season after 12 international seasons, with touring each summer, world cups and Lions tours. His body is in reasonable shape. John Hayes, our record-holder, has almost never been injured and is still going at 36. Over his career Hayes will have played half the number of games compared to his equivalent in France. How has this been achieved?

"All this got me thinking about Minister Eamon Ryan. Forget the possible repercussions on winning trophies and titles: what of player welfare, fatigue and future?"

As the free to air debate rages in Ireland, The Irish Independent takes a look at the players the IRFU would struggle to keep.

1 Brian O'Driscoll - A totemic figure not merely of Irish rugby but talismanic in how Irish rugby and money have been inextricably linked during this golden decade for the game. Flirted with France before and may still opt to play there for a year -- but not until after the next World Cup.

2 Jamie Heaslip - As with the majority on this list, Heaslip would never contemplate leaving these shores until after the World Cup in 2011 -- even if Philip Browne donned a 'Save Irish Rugby' cape and attempted to storm the Dail like a left-wing loony. After 2011? Anything goes. Has said he wants to try the Super 14.

3 Keith Earls - The flights of the Earls has been prominently promulgated in recent dispatches emanating from IRFU HQ. The man who painted a picture of O'Driscoll's hat-trick -- gleaned from terrestrial TV -- might take his own artistry elsewhere should his next deal not prove up to scratch.

4 Luke Fitzgerald - The injured Leinster star has unfortunately too much time on his hands to keep up with this prickly debate. As an international star, he will be like a new signing for Leinster next season. Could he be a new signing for someone else the following season though?

5 Rob Kearney - The man from Cooley who exhibits cool on and off the pitch -- but watch events bristle with red-hot energy should he ever declare his intention to leave Leinster. The South Africans, so in awe of his aerial prowess last summer, would be the first to invite him to eat braai.

Has Ireland coach Declan Kidney got the blend right for a testing summer tour? © Getty Images

If it is possible to be conservative and gamble in one sitting, then Ireland coach Declan Kidney has managed it with his 33-man squad for Ireland's summer tour to New Zealand and Australia according to the Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly.

"Conservative in that this is an 'as you were' selection, based around the core of the unbeaten Grand Slam-winning squad from 2009, with the emphasis on hard-headed experience for what promises to be an arduous expedition. And a gamble in that it includes Paul O'Connell and John Hayes.

"With the imperative of making a worthwhile trip to countries where Ireland have not recorded an international victory since 1979, the argument for leaving behind the likes of David Wallace, Brian O'Driscoll and other front-line Lions never held water.

"Ireland need their heavyweights for this trip, to attempt to strike a psychological blow looking down the road to the next World Cup and, not least, because New Zealand and Australia would have been disgruntled if they did not get Ireland's full monty."

Ireland's Minister for Communications has caused uproar among rugby’s heavy hitters over his free-to-air plans, writes the Irish Times' Johnny Watterson.

"Three CEOs, [the IRFU's Philip] Browne, the ERC’s Derek McGrath and the Six Nations CEO, John Feehan, flanked by the four horsemen of the apocalypse, the provincial CEOs, settled along the wall like generals in a war cabinet. Granite faced. Tight lipped. Language biblical. This was rugby battle prepared for the first time in 15 years.

"Browne outlined the threat of Minister Ryan on the horizon. Free-to-air rugby and the dismantling with the stroke of a pen a body of IRFU work globally admired.

"Minister Ryan’s green foot print, we were told, would be the biggest of any politician, the one that crushed the professional game in Ireland. For 43 minutes the sound and the fury belted out around Stephen’s Green and at the heart of it a figure of €12 million, the IRFU’s calculated annual loss."

In his weekly column in the Irish Independent, Tony Ward takes a look back at Leinster's Magners League play-off victory over Munster, placing a particular emphasis on the performance of Jamie Heaslip.

"Heaslip's barnstorming second-half runs - stretching Keith Earls to the limit and almost poleaxing the brave Ronan O'Gara - made for the icing but the real leadership is the hard yards and momentum gained in defence allied to the tackle count and groundhog turnovers at the breakdown. Here Heaslip was sublime. He is without doubt the Irish skipper in waiting and already in my view the most complete No 8 forward to wear green.

"Whenever asked over the years to select my best ever Irish back row, it tripped off the tongue: John O'Driscoll, Fergus Slattery and Willie Duggan. The chemistry and balance between the three was so good. But when a player comes along with the athleticism of Ken Goodall, the intellect of Anthony Foley, the dynamism of Victor Costello but, most of all, the Lion-heart bravery in adversity of Duggan, then the call in the middle of the all-time Irish back row becomes a no-brainer. There is an honesty and maturity to Heaslip's game that makes him a certain future Irish captain."

Writing in the Irish Times, Gerry Thornley warns of the potentially devastating consequences for Irish rugby if Heineken Cup games involving the country's provincial outfits are reserved solely for free-to-air terrestrial television channels.

"Eamon Ryan is no fool. In seeking to vastly expand the number of sports events to be screened free-to-air on terrestrial television, the Minister for Communications has done his research. He has also identified a problem regarding the exclusivity of television audiences on pay-per-view. Sport should never become too smug about this and sometimes governments need to keep an eye on them.

"Minister Ryan is also on familiar terrain. He attended Gonzaga, played in UCD and his family, including an uncle who played for Munster, is steeped in the game. Thus, when he recently proposed that Ireland’s Six Nations games and Irish Heineken Cup games be ring-fenced on free-to-air television, it was all the more heartfelt.

"Minister Ryan cites audience figures for Leinster quarter-finals which were on terrestrial television and then on pay-per-view, which drew audiences of 250,000 and 70,000 respectively. He points to the Munster-Biarritz final of 2006 which drew 500,000 viewers in Ireland, and the 2008 decider which attracted just 100,000, and countless examples from other sports."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Hugh Farrelly reflects on the way in which Michael Cheika has turned Leinster into the dominant side in Irish rugby since his arrival in Dublin five years ago.

"When 14-man Leinster defeated Munster in the titanic 2001 Celtic League final at Lansdowne Road, a yarn, which has never entirely been dismissed, recounts that a member of the then Leinster management team sent a text to his defeated sporting cousins.

"It simply read: 'Leinster 1, Munster 0.'

"The sides' subsequent divergent paths mocked that jibe, Munster's rise to unequivocal pre-eminence in Europe casting a dark shadow over an occasionally soulless Leinster operation.

"When Michael Cheika pitched up on these shores in the season that marked Munster's first Heineken Cup triumph, Irish rugby's ignorance of the Australian was mirrored by his ignorance of some of the intimate foibles of the Irish game.

"That 2006 semi-final embarrassment in Lansdowne Road at the hands of Munster offered him a rude awakening."

In his column in the Irish Times, Liam Toland argues that there is now a fundamental difference between Leinster and Munster: Munster create a blindside but Leinster create an openside.

"Once again our physically beautiful game has proved the adage right: attack when you have the ball and attack when you don’t have the ball. For long stretches of Saturday night’s semi-final Leinster couldn’t get near the ball but were more than happy to force Munster down cul-de-sacs.

"Munster came to the RDS with a gameplan and a bench to match it. Attack hard around the fringes, and, when the ball was quick, head down the blindside. Tomás O’Leary took responsibility off his captain Ronan O’Gara by channelling wave after wave into the Leinster blindside fringe. Was this the weakness? If so, the Munster bench would then be launched to exploit it.

"Leinster, too, had a gameplan which has evolved over recent seasons. First, stop the opposition from playing by attacking in numbers, attacking the ball and attacking the space, and when the opportunity presents itself ruthlessly exploit the space. Was O’Gara’s 10th-minute crossfield kick to Meathman, King of Fullbacks and Mick Lyons impersonator Shane Horgan a tactical ploy, or the result of Leinster pressure? The latter, I fancy."

Ireland's top players are showing the effects of too many games according to the Irish Independent's Jim Glennon.

"Is it just me or have our leading players looked absolutely knackered recently? Watching last week's final round of Magners League games, admittedly following as they did immediately upon our European disappointments of the previous weekend, it was difficult at times to avoid the impression that at least some of our top players are running on empty.

"When one sits down and thinks about it, the last 12 months for our top internationals have been hectic. The Grand Slam was followed by extended Heineken Cup involvement for two of the provinces; then came the Lions trip to South Africa in the summer, leading into an attritional season in which, coincidentally or otherwise, injuries have seemed far more prevalent than in previous years.

"With the end of the club season now in sight, there is the trip to the southern hemisphere for winter matches against New Zealand, Australia, and the New Zealand Maori. Looking further forward, a marathon World Cup season, in which our relatively shallow playing resources will be stretched to the maximum, begins in early August with the inaugural game in the new Aviva Stadium."

Hugh Farrelly hails the emergence of James Coughlan as a late boost to Munster's season, and possibly Ireland, in The Irish Independent.

"He readily acknowledges that Munster have only had an "okay" season, that Leinster have had the upper hand in their recent meetings and expresses the squad's determination to end the campaign on a positive note.

"The low-key affair is over in a matter of minutes and McGahan is getting up to leave when he is detained by a final question on James Coughlan -- the Munster No 8 who has been a huge success story this season and a somewhat unexpected one.

"Denis Leamy's long-term injury was a serious blow to Munster and, with Aucklander Nick Williams never quite stepping up to the plate, No 8 became a problem position. The emergence of Coughlan -- Irish rugby's 'late bloomer' -- has been a considerable boost."

O'Kelly salutes the Leinster faithful following their 2009 Heineken Cup Final victory over Leicester © Getty Images

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley talks to Lions, Ireland, Leinster and St Mary's College secondrow Malcolm O'Kelly who has finally decided to call time on his golden career.

"First Girvan and now Mal. A golden generation is coming to an end alright. And Malcolm O’Kelly was very much a key figure in that era. In terms of pure natural talent there has no more gifted lock than O’Kelly, with all due respect to Willie John McBride, Paul O’Connell, Donal Lenihan, Neil Francis and the rest. Big Mal was a total one-off.

"Eric Elwood once told the story of the Irish squad arriving in South Africa in 1998 and, as way of overcoming jetlag, all of them were immediately sent off on a run. O’Kelly returned to the hotel about third or fourth, quicker than all the other forwards and most of the backs, went straight to the team room and declared: “Is there any food, I’m starving.”

"...That heart, that stamina, that work-rate. The bigger the game, the more he busted a gut. Lifting or no lifting, he’d have ruled the skies. Memories will always remain of him dominating the England lineout at Twickenham in 2004, and his try-saving covering tackle by the corner flag on Mark Regan, along with many other virtuoso performances."

Hugh Farrelly runs the rule over Ireland's selection problems prior to their summer tour in The Irish Independent.

"What this semi-final pairing has done is give Irish rugby a welcome injection of energy after the season appeared deflated from a disappointing end to the Six Nations and a triple European exit. The meetings of Munster and Leinster never want for intensity but with the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia just a matter of weeks away, there will be an added 'final trial' bite to the Ballsbridge atmosphere.

"This expedition appears increasingly hazardous for Ireland coach Declan Kidney. The intention was to gain a first victory in the southern hemisphere in 31 years, which would engender confidence in the squad for their World Cup campaign in 2011. However, with injuries affecting a chunk of Kidney's battle-hardened front-line warriors, there is now the opportunity to test the depth of Ireland's resources."

Brendan Fanning of the Sunday Independent is warning that the Irish set-piece is in need of serious attention ahead of next year's World Cup.

"A couple of weeks ago, Cian Healy was kicking a ball around on his day off when he was cornered by a group of kids, eager for a few minutes of his time. No problem. He is always helpful in this regard, probably because there is much of the big kid in him still. They asked the usual stuff. Then one of them asked had he enjoyed the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Clermont. Without pausing for a second, Healy responded: "I didn't like sitting on the bench too much."

"At least that night he had come on and got to finish the game. Last weekend in Toulouse, the sight of Healy sitting down well ahead of schedule was one of the enduring images of the weekend. Another came the next afternoon in San Sebastian: John Hayes, typically stoic, in sharp focus, as yet another scrum had been busted with the prospect of more to come.

"Perhaps the most poignant however came in the immediate aftermath of that game, always the most fertile period for getting Ronan O'Gara as he is. He had to abandon the piece with the man from Sky for fear tears might take over. Had Munster been whopped by 30 you reckon O'Gara could have coped with it, but he knew they had been beaten by a team nowhere near as good as the one they had buried in the 2006 final. If you were 23, that would be deeply frustrating. Add 10 years and it's enough to make you weep."

Brian O'Driscoll shows his disappointment at Leinster's Heineken Cup exit © Getty Images

As the Irish club season reaches its conclusion, Tony Ward laments the growing gap between the amateur game and the successful regions in The Irish Independent.

"The introduction of the Heineken Cup has provided the biggest plus from the game going open. Losing out on Grand Slam and Triple Crown - my, haven't we come a long way - was disappointing, yes, but the gloom hanging over Irish rugby since last weekend's double Heineken Cup defeat sums up where priorities now lie and just what the premier European competition means to rugby folk and, indeed, to folk generally on this island.

"The flip side of the Heineken coin is, of course, the All-Ireland League. As the provincial competition goes from strength to strength, the club game erodes ever further.

"Today the club season reaches its climax with the Division 2 and 3 finals in Anglesea Road and the main event, the Division 1 final in Athlone's Dubarry Park."

Ireland's Girvan Dempsey is set to hang his boot up at the end of the season © Getty Images

Girvan Dempsey's decision to retire from professional rugby at the end of the season will mark the culmination of an outstanding sporting career according to the Irish Times' Gerry Thornley.

"Celebrated as a player, his qualities as a person will not be overlooked by those who played with and against him. Modest and articulate, he brought quiet, unfussy footballing intelligence to the pitch.

"His career might be defined by his ability to swallow whole towering garryowens without a hiccup but with a strike-rate of just over one try every four matches for Leinster and Ireland it would be churlish to ignore those scoring exploits. Arguably his greatest playing quality was his positional sense, honed by countless hours of video analysis deciphering the facial tics and body language “tells” of hundreds of outhalves: very few found the corners on any pitch upon which he played."

Cork Con's Evan Ryan has the world at his feet as he prepares for Saturday's AIB League Final against St Mary's this weekend. Gerry Thornley writes in the Irish Times.

"The shirt, tie and suit is the giveaway. Evan Ryan has joined the real world. The 24-year-old captain of Cork Constitution has a law degree and three weeks ago joined AL Goodbody Solicitors in Dublin as a trainee solicitor, so realistically this Saturday’s AIB League final in Dubarry Park against St Mary’s will probably be his last game for the club, for three or four years at any rate.

"He will, most likely, join a Dublin club. For the moment though, he can’t see beyond Saturday. Con like to be first in, having won the inaugural AIL title and the inaugural AIB Cup (which they won again this season), and regard this season’s revised format and eight-team Division 1A as a chance to make their mark again by completing a double."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Tony Ward believes the Heineken Cup semi-final defeats for Leinster and Munster should act as a wake-up call for the national side.

"If you have to experience the lows to truly appreciate the highs, the past few days have certainly cast an even rosier light on Irish rugby's extraordinary achievements of 2009. Short of winning the World Cup, I doubt we will ever witness its like again.

"But one year on, it's the French who are well on top. In the Six Nations showdown in Paris in February, and in both Heineken Cup semi-finals as well as the Amlin Challenge Cup penultimate round, they have reconfirmed their dominance over the Irish in the most emphatic way.

"Even at this distance, France can be underlined as serious contenders for next year's World Cup. Could we have said the same about Ireland a year ago?"

Writing in the Sunday Independent, George Hook argues that the manner of Leinster's defeat in Saturday's Heineken Cup semi-final clash with Toulouse has highlighted a real crisis in Irish rugby.

"Toulouse, as expected, reached the final of the Heineken Cup in Paris. They stuttered in the process, but it would have been a travesty had they lost a game that they dominated from the off.

"It was a sad way for Leinster to bow out, but their luck was always going to run out away from the heady atmosphere of the RDS.

"It took just 12 minutes for this game to move away from Leinster. The first scrum of the match demonstrated the gulf between the two teams and only Toulouse's conservative and nervy performance allowed the Irish province to survive.

"However, it would be unfair not to credit Leinster's indomitable spirit and organisation. The winning habit is hard to break and this team never gave up against a vastly superior force. But the facts of rugby union are immutable; forwards win games, the backs determine by how much. Michael Cheika may reflect on Eoin Reddan's near-try, but, in truth, his team threatened just twice to break free from the French shackles."

Hugh Farrelly talks to Connacht's Niva Ta'auso prior to their European Challenge Cup showdown with Toulon at the Sportsground in The Irish Independent.

"The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain but in Galway it tends to drop on the Sportsground. There's a different quality to the rain over there, it's the "wet rain" comedian Peter Kay talks about, the sort that seeps into your soul. It certainly takes some adjusting to.

"Oh ... the first two months after I arrived, it was just raining, raining, I couldn't believe it," Niva Ta'auso recalls with a chuckle."I'm a sun boy big time and I remember saying: 'Oh my gosh, what am I doing here?'. But you get used to it; well, you have to."

"The burly midfielder from Samoa via New Zealand was happy with the weather on Monday when he sat down for a chat. The sun was out in earnest and the Sportsground a hive of activity as preparations continue for Friday night's Challenge Cup semi-final showdown with Top 14 pace-setters Toulon."

Brendan Fanning salutes the difficult birth of the Heineken Cup final as a stand-alone event in The Sunday Independent.

"It was 2003 and still the early days of the Heineken Cup as a stand-alone affair, where its organisers had taken a leap of faith and nailed down where the final would be played before they had nailed down who would actually play in it. And they needed some local involvement to give the thing a kick-start. Some reassurance if you like.

"With the way the draw had panned out, giving Leinster a home run from the quarters to the final, that reassurance was at hand. Then they went and lost to Perpignan in the semi-final. Oh dear.

"Everyone was shell-shocked afterwards. Not so distraught however that we couldn't mine some black humour from the situation. On the basis that one man's catastrophe is another man's opportunity -- and how we have seen that reinforced over the last eight days -- the prospect of a junket to the South of France presented itself. Perpignan versus Toulouse in a Lansdowne Road final? Now there was a gig that needed selling."

Tony Ward is looking forward to a thrilling end to the Magners League season at the top and bottom of the table in The Irish Independent.

"The Magners League is set for a fascinating finale. Ahead of last night's matches, all but three teams -- Ulster, Connacht and Llanelli Scarlets -- were still in with a chance of making the inaugural play-offs, with two rounds of the regular season remaining.

"Not for the first time, Leinster and Munster are strong title contenders, yet it is the battle at the basement, specifically between Connacht and Ulster, that is capturing the imagination. The sub-plot is the possibility of a maiden place at the top table of European rugby for the men from the west.

"For the competition's organisers, Celtic Rugby, the Ulster-Connacht tussle has provided an unexpected bonus on top of the excitement generated by the race for the play-offs -- a format which brings the Magners League in line with most other professional rugby tournaments around the world."

Hugh Farrelly takes a look at the impact made by Mick O'Driscoll in place of the iconic Paul O'Connell as Munster saw off Northampton in The Irish Independent.

"How do you replace an icon? Ask Mick O'Driscoll. The build-up to the recent Heineken Cup quarter-final against Northampton was a head-wrecking exercise for the 31-year-old Munster second-row.

"Paul O'Connell had not played since Ireland's anti-climactic finale against Scotland at the end of March and the media frenzy centred on whether the Munster's captain's groin injury would allow him to face the Saints.

"Northampton were coming to Thomond Park bullish after a run of victories across the water and spoke confidently -- and imprudently -- of how the Limerick ground held 'no fears' for them after their January visit for the pool game they felt they should have won."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Tony Ward insists that Connacht have been forced to operate on an unfair playing field for too long.

"The province is operating on a one-year contractual agreement with the union. What chance with that? With such insecurity, how can they ever have any semblance of continuity in quality going forward?

"...There is money to help Connacht, and the westerners deserve it. John Muldoon typifies what Connacht rugby is all about. The captain is proud to earn his living representing western people -- neighbours, friends and family. It is an identity special, if not unique, to Irish rugby.

"But I struggle to define Connacht as of now. I could latch on to 'development province' but in truth I don't really know what that means nor, I suspect, do the IRFU. It sounds technically cool but is in reality a kop-out, buying time until a decision has to be made either to do Connacht properly or not at all."

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley talks to Connacht captain John Muldoon who views the Challenge Cup as the best route to their Holy Grail, qualifying for the Heineken Cup.

"At this stage of the season, Connacht are normally counting the days to summer while retaining, at best, an outside mathematical challenge to qualify for the Heineken Cup for the first time ever. Now though, they still have three routes into Europe’s blue-riband competition.

"They can still qualify through the Magners League by dint of finishing above Ulster, whom they trailed by four points going into this weekend’s matches; by winning the Amlin Challenge Cup, or can do so with Ulster should either Leinster or Munster gain an additional place for Ireland by winning the Heineken Cup.

"None of this would have seemed possible when Connacht lost limply by 30-6 to Ulster at the Sportsground last September. They’ve had a few disappointments over the years but the way John Muldoon recalls it, that was a particularly low ebb."

The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly talks to the Leinster fly-half Shaun Berne as he prepares to steer his province through a crucial part of the season.

"An early cameo from Shaun Berne's career south of the equator illustrates perfectly just why his forthcoming responsibilities as Leinster's primary place-kicker in the Heineken Cup inflict tranquillity and terror into supporters' hearts in equal measure.

"It is 2003 and the Waratahs are facing down the mighty Crusaders, the New Zealand side that had dished out a 96-19 humiliation to the Sydney side en route to the Super 14 title a year before. With regular kickers Matt Burke and Mat Rogers off injured, Berne has missed four chances to push his side into a commanding position. Seconds remain. 31-31. The Crusaders slip offside.

"That the crime is committed centimetres inside the Australians' half barely registers with Berne. As the Sydney faithful and Crusaders bench join in watching nervously behind their hands, the son of a Belfast man tonks over the three-pointer.

"He is engulfed by team-mates and acclaimed by the crowd. How swiftly his previously errant attempts are forgotten. It is always thus in the lonely life of the place-kicker, for whom the distance between hero and zero can be a matter of mere millimetres."

Hugh Farrelly of the Irish Independent salutes the role Leinster captain Leo Cullen has played in the province's transition from nearly men to giants of the European game.

"It was a Musgrave Park night the locals would describe as "manky" - swirling wind, driving rain and the type of cold that forms ice on the fringes of laptop screens. Friday, November 30, 2007, did not get a lot of airplay when the feeding frenzy began before the recent Good Friday showdown between Munster and Leinster, nor indeed did it ahead of last year's Heineken Cup, Croke Park semi-final between the same combatants.

"However, when charting the development of Leinster from talented underachievers to their status as one of the most psychologically secure teams in Europe - with the trophy to prove it - that manky Magners League night in Cork stands tall.

"Leinster had not won at Musgrave Park for more than 20 years and - given their established reputation as a dry-ground, running team - a comfortable home victory was predicted, particularly as Munster fielded a pack including the names of Horan, Hayes, Flannery, O'Callaghan, Leamy and Wallace.

"But it was the Leinster grapplers who proved more effective as Michael Cheika's men secured a seminal 10-3 victory. And chief among them was second-row Leo Cullen, at the heart of every collision up front, grabbing team-mates to tighten up mauls, barking orders at fringe defenders and generally revelling in the old-style rugby combat in what was soon to become the ELV era."

In his weekly column in the Irish Independent, Tony Ward salutes the performance of Munster fly-half Ronan O'Gara in Saturday's Heineken Cup win over Northampton, arguing that he is currently winning his battle with Leinster's Jonathan Sexton for the Ireland No.10 jersey.

"Leadership in his case is not about getting involved in forward scuffles but in providing sensible and effective game-management. O'Gara was superb, producing his most complete 80 minutes of the season. On current form, he is the better of two very fine game-running out-halves -- were an Ireland team being picked right now, he would be a cert for re-selection.

"Jonathan Sexton's arrival as a very real alternative has provided the Munster maestro with just the type of challenge he needs at this watershed stage in his illustrious career. Against Northampton he was sublime. He is not a natural leader a la O'Connell or, in my view, Jerry Flannery, but when it comes to doing the right things under pressure, his example is inspirational."

Brian O'Driscoll has said he would be willing to consider a move away from Ireland -- but only after his contract expires following the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The Irish Independent's David Kelly reports.

"I don't rule anything out," said O'Driscoll, who in the past has been courted by clubs, notably Biarritz.

With current Leinster coach Michael Cheika due to hook up with Stade Francais from next season, speculation has inevitably linked the pair to a reunion at some time.

"I did have a big interest in moving," he says of his past links with a move abroad. "I was a bit dismayed about Leinster going through three coaches in three years and I wondered were Leinster going anywhere, but Michael Cheika gave us that stability.

"But that doesn't mean you have to stay in one club for your whole career. If the situation arose, I'd certainly be open to the idea of it."

There's a big weekend ahead for Leinster and Munster © PA

Gerry Thornley looks ahead to an interesting weekend in Europe for the Irish provinces, and wonders if the bar has been set too high, in The Irish Times.

"So, make or break time again. Three wins out of five in the Six Nations, and just two defeats in eight Tests, along with three Irish quarter-finalists in Europe and two contenders for the Magners League play-offs cannot be deemed a bad season. But, because the bar has been set so high – last season especially – were Irish interest in Europe to end this weekend it might seem an anti-climactic end to a disappointing campaign.

"That will apply to the players as well as the supporters. Victories this weekend would go some way to soothing the disappointment of the defeat to Scotland, especially. This would even help sustain interest in the intriguing run-in to the league (including Connacht’s hard chase of Ulster for the automatic Heineken Cup place) if Leinster, Munster and Connacht could sustain their involvement in the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup for another three weeks.

"Helpfully, all three secured home advantage, and much has been made of the preponderance of home wins at this stage of the Heineken Cup, with 39 of 52 quarter-finals being won by the home side. However, while there were only two away wins in the first five years of this format (ie, 18 home wins to two away wins) in the last eight seasons there have been 11 away wins – including at least one each year."

Tony Ward salutes Michael Cheika's achievement in guiding Leinster to their latest win over Munster in The Irish Independent.

"Hands up those who saw this one coming -- but count me out. Back in October, an astonishing 30 points separated the teams at the death; last Friday, the difference was just a single point.

"But, trust me, for Munster this latest defeat -- the third on the bounce to their great rivals -- was even more crushing than that suffered at the RDS. And, for Leinster to win at Thomond Park in such a manner would have been even more satisfying than that Dublin 4 romp.

"For Michael Cheika and Leinster, this was a massive achievement. The challenge now, and it is significant, is to bring everyone involved back to reality and focus on what lies ahead at the RDS on Friday.In contrast to Leinster, Clermont Auvergne were poor in defeat to Stade Francais in Paris last Saturday. Collective confidence added to home comfort ought to put the reigning Heineken Cup champions clearly in pole position, but rugby doesn't work like that."

With the Heineken Cup quarter-finals only a week away, Brendan Fanning evaluates Leinster's win over Munster in The Irish Independent.

"I t was not long at all after the game in January when it dawned on Northampton Saints that they had left something important behind them in Thomond Park. Not the valuables bag under a bench in the dressing-room, rather something more important - out on the pitch. In the history of European competition in Limerick, the home side have only lost once, and to opposition from England's midlands as it happens. Saints, Leicester's neighbours and keenest rivals, had a glorious opportunity to make that a unique English double. The problem was that they hadn't believed.

"Afterwards, their coach Jim Mallinder was positive in his comments about how his team had taken the game to Munster, but he knew they should have taken it away from them as well. And then, when the mist had cleared on the pool stages and Saints had been drawn away to Munster in the quarter-final, the overwhelming feeling was of satisfaction. A chance to go one better.

"With that in mind, Munster needed to send out a message on Good Friday that they were on the right track for next weekend. Jerry Flannery was back, even if Paul O'Connell and Keith Earls were absent, and the atmosphere was at fever pitch. In these circumstances, they needed their out-half to be clear and focused and, with five from five shots on goal, Ronan O'Gara was in the groove. It looked like a personal crusade to win back his Ireland shirt."

In a wide ranging interview with Gerry Thornley of the Irish Times, the now retired IRFU director of fitness Dr. Liam Hennessy outlines what went wrong at Ireland's disastrous 2007 World Cup.

“I think simply the Genesis report states the boys couldn’t have been in better shape. That’s not me saying it. That’s an independent body saying it. They did their homework to find that out. We had a 52-week countdown plan where all the guys, all our guys, were involved in making sure the guys were in the best possible shape. There was great harmony in how it worked. Then Eddie (O’Sullivan) who is in my book an outstanding coach, Eddie did put his hands up and by his own admission said he got it wrong on that front."

"By this Hennessy means in terms of match preparation and actual pitch work. “I suppose there was a panic . . . here were a couple of moments I would imagine of realisation that ‘Oh we ain’t ready, rugby wise, for the game’. We’ve gone through it ad nauseam, and it was a huge stressful time for everybody. I know the guys in terms of strength, power, speed, everything they were way up there,” he says, pointing his hand above his head and suggesting their physical endurance for the rest of that season and since underlines the point.

"So they were over-trained, or in Hennessy’s terminology, over-practised.

“I mean, look, it’s a lesson for everybody. You can’t fatten the pig before the fair. You can’t cram in all those hours of extra work on the pitch technically. You can’t keep doing that through the tournament. That only goes one way, down in terms of performance. So that over-concentration on ‘let’s get this right’, ‘let’s do more on the pitch to make up for what’s not being done and to make up for the lack of performances’. So that’s what I mean by mistakes being made and lessons learned.”

Hugh Farrelly believes CJ van der Linde's stint at Leinster was one that came at great cost to Leinster and Ireland's long term planning in The Irish Independent.

"With only four professional outlets in Irish rugby, two overseas props on a province's books is one too many and in the final pool games of the Heineken Cup and Challenge Cup in January, we had the situation where, of the eight propping slots available, four were filled by non-Irish-qualified players (BJ Botha, Van der Linde, Wian du Preez and Robbie Morris).

"The Leinster team for tonight's Magners League clash with Munster emphasises the point -- Wright and Van der Linde starting, Healy on the bench, no Mike Ross. One overseas prop per province is permissible, two is self-destructive from an Ireland point of view and must cause considerable mirth in the southern hemisphere as their players benefit (financially and psychologically) at the expense of would-be World Cup challengers.

"Rocky Elsom unquestionably brought Irish rugby forward during his time with Leinster; Van der Linde has, and continues to, hinder its progress."

David Kelly takes a look at the continued confusion caused by refereeing interpretations of the tackle area in The Irish Independent.

"Rugby's tackle law may not necessarily be an ass, but it's certainly giving more and more of the hard-pressed spectators, coaches and players a significant pain there.

"It is difficult to forget the furore that erupted during the Six Nations, when the normally mild-mannered Irish coach Declan Kidney publicly expressed a rage many others felt privately at IRB referees manager Paddy O'Brien for implementing a new tackle law interpretation during week five of the championship.

"Munster coach Tony McGahan is one of the more cerebral coaches in the game but even he has had inordinate difficulty in maintaining contact with the accelerating developments regarding the interpretation of the new tackle law."

David Kelly talks to Marcus Horan about his mixed emotions following his Thomond Park health scare in The Irish Independent.

"Of all the things that went through Marcus Horan's mind when he lay in Limerick's Regional Hospital in the early hours of October 18 last, he would never in a lifetime have countenanced that relief would be the chief emotion coursing through his frazzled senses.

"Less than 12 hours earlier on his beloved Thomond Park turf, his legs had buckled once more beneath the weight of a four-year-long intermittent spell of dizziness and weakness.

"Now, prone on a hospital bed, Horan was forced to confront the possibility that not only his career, but his very quality of life was now at stake as a result of the pursuit of the game he loved. And yet still relief jostled with fear and apprehension as he contemplated this red-letter day in his 32-year existence."

Tony Ward reflects on Leinster's last-gasp victory over Connacht in The Irish Independent.

"Whatever else, justice was most certainly not done at the RDS last Saturday. The better team playing the more committed rugby came second to the one playing, as Michael Cheika rightly put it, "within themselves".

"We were lucky. In no way am I going to say a win's a win - that was mediocre at best," said the Leinster head coach.That was a refreshingly honest assessment of a poor performance after a result that takes the Magners League pace-setters four points clear with a match in hand and with just five series of games to go.

"It is a pretty good place for Leinster to be but Cheika knows full well if his side repeat last weekend's performance over the season-defining games in Limerick on Friday or in the RDS against Clermont Auvergne the following week, then the finish (to the successful coaching tenure) he dearly craves could be blown into oblivion."

Scotland's Croke Park win will not be quickly forgotten © Getty Images

Tommy Conlon laments Ireland's over-confidence prior to their Six Nations loss to Scotland in The Irish Independent.

"In space no one can hear you scream, in sport no one can see the shock coming. It is one of the charms and curses of this sporting life that the hit comes when it's least expected. No matter how long one has followed, observed and analysed games, there is still no safeguard against complete and total confoundment.

"We're not talking about run-of-the-mill surprises either, which are ten-a-penny and usually come with some amount of forewarning: the favourites should win but the underdogs have a chance too.

"We're talking about outcomes which in advance have a blanket guarantee and where pundits and punters have reached a state of near-absolute consensus: this team is going to win and the other team is going to lose because there is no other sane way of looking at it."

Writing in the Sunday Independent, Jim Glennon argues that this year's U20s Six Nations has underlined that the future is bright for Irish rugby.

"Enough has been said and written about Ireland's anti-climactic exit from Croke Park last Saturday. But amidst the disappointment, at least we don't have to look too far to find some welcome good news.

"The success of the Ireland U20s in securing their second Six Nations championship in four seasons fits the bill just nicely. While it didn't slip completely under the radar, it has been unduly overshadowed by the exploits of the seniors.

"This success is worthy of attention however, particularly in the context of a certain amount of hype currently surrounding some members of that U20 squad, captain Rhys Ruddock, who started on Leinster's blindside in the Magners League yesterday, and full-back Andrew Conway, who has also made the step up to that level for Leinster in recent weeks, being just two."

Ireland must win in the Southern Hemisphere to climb from ranked fifth on a longer-term basis, Matt Williams writes in the Irish Times.

"That thin line between success and failure was flipped this season, with Ireland missing out on a Triple Crown when Dan Parks’ late penalty sailed over last Saturday. It highlighted several glaring problems that were easily masked by Ireland’s Grand Slam victory in Cardiff 12 months ago, when Stephen Jones’ late penalty fell marginally short.

"Ireland should not be relying on opposing place-kickers to define their season. There is more to this group than that.

"The highly-talented national coaching staff need to see the defeat to Scotland as an opportunity for evaluation. If this team are to climb from fifth in the IRB rankings on a longer-term basis, and this is possible, they must win in the Southern Hemisphere.

"But this cannot be done unless fundamental changes are made in how possession is used. In a nutshell, counter-attacking and phase-play attack, based on continuity and offloading, must be added to the offensive arsenal."

Fergus McFadden has been waiting in the wings - or should that be the centres - for his chance at Leinster and for Ireland, but with injury ruling Brian O'Driscoll out of action Donnchadh Boyle profiles the up and coming centre in The Irish Independent.

"WHAT colour do Leinster play in?" one reporter asked Fergus McFadden earlier this season. The question was qualified. "I only ask because, at the moment, you've played for Ireland across all levels more times than you've played for Leinster."

"Progress over the course of his career has been slow, if steady. Last season represented further progress in his career. He was Leinster's 23rd man for the Heineken Cup final, close enough to the action to appreciate what was going on, but too far away to fully enjoy it. So, he waits, and when given a start, the 23-year-old has a happy knack of reminding both Michael Cheika and Declan Kidney of his capabilities.

"He was the Churchill Cup's player of the tournament last June and landed 36 points, including three tries with the remainder coming from his ever-improving boot, in Leinster's last two matches. That Churchill Cup campaign prompted a number of English club sides to come knocking, dangling the carrot of regular first-team rugby, but McFadden chose to stay at Leinster, saying: "I'm happy where I am at the moment."

Niall Crozier predicts some tough decisions ahead for Declan Kidney and Ireland in the wake of their loss to Scotland in The Irish Independent.

"After the high of a Grand Slam in 2009, defeats in two of their five matches in the just-ended Six Nations has left Ireland facing some tough questions and decisions.

"So what now? Where exactly are we in terms of our preparations for next year's World Cup?
Declan Kidney faces some big decisions, specifically with regard to changes he is going to have to make sooner or later. And therein is the quandary, for the timing is going to be as important as the personnel changes.

"In many ways it is unfortunate that Saturday's defeat by hitherto bottom of the table Scotland marked the end of the campaign, for one can only speculate as to what might have happened had Ireland being playing again this or next weekend."

Jim Hamilton beats Donncha O'Callaghan to a lineout throw © Getty Images

Vincent Hogan analyses the failings of the Irish lineout following their loss to Scotland in The Irish Independent.

"When they come to dismantle Rory Best's calamitous farewell to Croke Park, they needn't bother sending out a posse to track him down. Because he's right here in front of us all this morning, sitting on this page, opening the blinds on a whole store-room of regret.

"Imagine. When so much around is a shabby carnival of denial - banks, church, state - Best stepped before us on Saturday evening, all but volunteering for penance. Didn't anyone tell him about due process?

"Ireland's line-out slipped into virtual meltdown on Saturday and, when a line-out fails, the thrower gets it in the eye. Best certainly over-cooked a few deliveries and a couple of others were penalised by the pedantic Jonathan Kaplan for being 'crooked'. In total, Ireland spilled seven darts off the board. What had been their strongest weapon became a gaping gash in the hull."

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."