How can rugby be both on the brink of transcendent glory and, at the same time, existential collapse?

Is this new policy the Blues are considering a betrayal of the club's rich history?

When this is all over, how will it be between us and the great grizzly bear who sits benignly in the coaching box overseeing the latest franchise in the Irish rugby team’s cinematic universe?

Irish sporting scandals are so bitter because the stakes are so small. It rarely matters greatly to the overall health of the nation which way these things play out, yet it seems to matter so much. Think of the children!

Almost seven out of ten rugby fans said they would oppose any ban on drinking at the Aviva Stadium

You know there is a group called NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing, who staged a protest before the club’s recent home game with Chelsea. They chose the Chelsea game because the last time Newcastle played Chelsea, the previous March, was the day after the Saudis executed 81 men, the biggest mass execution in decades.

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