The sense that Sexton exists at a whole other conceptual level was only confirmed in his absence last November. After marshalling Ireland to victory over South Africa, Sexton was rested for the Fiji game and pulled up lame before Australia.

Not saying it was a JFK moment or anything but I will always remember where I was when I heard that Michael Murphy was retiring

Apologies in advance. This is a respectable newspaper renowned as a platform for erudition and analysis. This is not a thesis you’ll see published in academic journals or by respected think tanks. Nor is it the sort of crude terminology this column normally trades in.

Ten years on from Páidí Ó Sé's death it is tempting to look for relevance and legacy, especially in a winter when Sam Maguire sits in the Kingdom

Finally, we get to see Roy Keane performing at a World Cup in his prime.

Will we ever be allowed to move on from Cristiano Ronaldo? 

Frankly, this World Cup is the most exhausting thing you can do without getting off the couch.

For anyone who loves the game, it is this — more than the alleged bribery, the disruption to the football calendar, the paid-for fans or the expensive beer — which provokes distaste toward Qatar 2022. Most reasonable football people have struggled to know how they should feel as the tournament drew closer.

Very few of us are calling the plays or pointing to the posts. Mostly we are holding tackle bags or heaving others into position, small parts of a greater machine

Maybe it is all pointless, this middle-aged trudge around city streets, grinding your joints into bonemeal and for what?