What a terrible pity Connacht couldn’t come good in that last-ditch siege on the Saracens line in their opening Heineken Cup pool game at the Sportsground last Friday night.

Never before has the old adage that you’re only as good as you’re next game felt so apt.

THE more I read the protestations of the Anglo-French protagonists from Premier Rugby Limited (PRL) and the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), the more my blood boils.

His passing went largely unnoticed, even within the rugby family, which was strange, given how he shaped the careers of so many promising players in their formative years.

It’s only a few months since I last put pen to paper yet so much has happened in the intervening period, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Agony or ecstasy, there really is nothing in between. So said Warren Gatland an hour after Saturday night’s captivating third Test in Sydney, and how right he is.

It’s a dozen years since our columnist was manager of the Lions tour heading into a decisive final test in Sydney. He’s been facing his demons this week.

With Warburton out, if Deans chooses to recall George Smith to the fray, we could see a sizeable shift in that battle at the breakdown.

The haunted look on Brian O’Driscoll’s face at the final whistle said it all.

One of the downsides of all these evening kick-offs is that it’s well past midnight before you shut down the laptop.