Coaches will rightly speak of the performance and the search for consistency, but context is king at this stage of the season.

Frankly, I don’t remember Munster as low. The notion they ‘aren’t far away’ comes off as a little fanciful now.

Ireland management step in to protect Sam Prendergast as Jack Crowley eyes long-term control of the number 10 jersey

The Azzurri may come to Dublin with their tails up, but Andy Farrell's men will be cranky. 

Standing there, watching this mountain of a man, an indestructible soul, wired up in a hospital bed was something that will live with me. It makes me wonder how well I really processed October 2016 in Paris

The shock sacking of Scott Robertson raises uncomfortable questions about leadership, pressure, and what success really means in elite rugby

We are starting a new, thrilling project with young exciting talent in La Rochelle but it will take some time. Is there the patience to wait? Have we got that time? Have I got that time? 

Rugby is a game of shapes and sizes, heft and speed, and if it’s hard to compare the respective attributes of Ox Nche and Damian Willemse in terms of ranking one higher than the other. But we can only try.

Our intrepid columnist finds himself in reflective mood after another brush with authority, admiring Munster's support from afar and, all the while, mixing with the wildlife on South Africa's most southerly tip

A chaotic loss to Castres forces La Rochelle into a blunt assessment of decision-making, scanning and collective responsibility