1 MENTAL BAGGAGE

1 SELECTION

WITH five of the eight quarter-finalists coming from Ireland and France it appears strange that the national sides of both are left disappointed with mid-table finishes in the northern hemisphere’s trophy international tournament.

The latest chapter in the intense rivalry between Munster and Leinster failed to ignite on Saturday night in Limerick, with another scrummage controversy dominating the post-match analysis.

It quickly became apparent something was stirring on the Lions front on Monday afternoon when RTÉ and the BBC contacted me to discuss speculation that Warren Gatland had been offered the job of coaching the touring party on their return to Australia in 2013.

If evidence was needed to underline the value of youth, you only had to watch the scenes in Cardiff on Saturday when a gaggle of baby-faced assassins from Wales paraded the Six Nations trophy around the Millennium Stadium with the same innocent smiles as kids in a bouncy castle.

To beat England at any level it is imperative that you match them in the set piece.

1 DEFENCE

Saturday’s game against England at Twickenham will be Ireland’s 14th test game in eight months and will have a defining influence on how that period is judged.

Saturday offered a glimpse of what Ireland’s rugby future might look like when Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara and David Wallace depart the international scene on a permanent basis.