Dublin might, only might, be the most significant challenge for New Zealand on this tour. But Scott Robertson knows the next autumn series that really matters to him is in 2027 in Australia.

These are turbulent times, but the solution for their next head coach is already in the building with a combo of Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy. Logic, never mind history, tell us that most good No 1’s start as No 2’s or 3’s.

 Last Saturday in San Sebastian wasn't bad. It was humiliating. So what happens next?

How we unravelled at the end of last season fed into a hard truth that never left me –we were not properly at the pace of the game all season. That’s a big statement and it’s on me too

Toulouse’s last meaningful outing was the Champions Cup final against Leinster the better part of a month ago. Chances are they might be short a bit of cohesion.

Insofar as we can employ a comparison, this was Ireland’s World Cup quarter-final last autumn against the All Blacks. The only thing that mattered was getting over the line.

Sitting in my car with a muffin, it's easy to be seduced by both Leinster and Toulouse, but smarts and stone-cold pragmatism may swing Saturday's Champions Cup final Ireland's way.

Confidence in sport is a fascinating topic for a column. When everything is tough; making a decision is hard, passing the ball is hard. You can’t find the auto switch. You can see it, you know where it is from before, but you are frozen, you can’t reach out and flick it...

Playing at Croke Park is quite the experience. In its pure magnificence, it blows Lansdowne Road away, and feels like six times the size. 

When Leinster can move in and sign one of Munster’s biggest assets, it is - not to put too fine a point on it - the biggest kick in the b*llocks I can remember for a province since the game went professional in Ireland