Despite the gale-force winds that lashed the Irish coast and wreaked havoc for the aviation industry, flight FR 1548 from Perpignan to Shannon last Saturday night was a great place to be.

Maybe that agonising defeat to New Zealand has a legacy after all. At least in determining a starting point for what proved an extraordinary weekend for the Irish provinces in Europe, the All Blacks surely played their part.

THE end is in sight, even if we are not quite there yet.

Richie McCaw: His men can deal with the big occasions.

The radio ads for Friday night’s production of Alone it Stands in Dublin, the play depicting the events surrounding Munster’s historic win over New Zealand in 1978, was marketed as the last ever staging of the show.

Ireland need a quick fix in three key areas...

Gentleman, that he is, Beaumont whispers to Moss “may the best team win”.

Well, at least Ireland’s new management team has a very clear picture of the enormity of the task facing them in their new roles.

Australian sport is going through a rough time at present, something an ultra-competitive, sports-mad nation is finding difficult to come to terms with.

On the face of it, a record win over a side positioned about us on the IRB rankings, scoring five tries in the process, should provide the perfect launchpad for any new national coach.