IS IT possible that the Tinkerman will have the last laugh?

AFTER 46 games and a weekend of semi-final action characterised by controversy, drama, incident and passion, the 2011 version of the World Cup has produced a carbon copy of what transpired here at the inaugural event 24 years ago — a final contested by New Zealand and France with Australia and Wales battling for the bronze medal.

1. Half-back mastery

I WOKE on Monday morning without a tricolour, an Irish jersey or a Munster top to be seen anywhere.

I ARRIVED in Wellington with the Irish team on Monday morning to be greeted by gale force winds and torrential rain.

I CAN’T be sure if you’re getting the full impact back home but there is something special starting to happen over 12,000 miles away.

ROTORUA was great while it lasted but the smell from the sulphuric geezers is something I am glad to have left behind.

FOR some it’s a match to get out of the way, for others it could be the entirety of their World Cup campaign.

THE World Cup has been turned on its head and Ireland are the talk of New Zealand.

BY the time you read this I will have landed in Auckland after a stifling 36-hour trek with stopovers in London, Bangkok and Sydney.