In testing conditions, they were forced to play three-quarters of this third round a player down after Jarlath Collins received a straight red card for an altercation with an opposing player in the 18th minute.

Pat Magner was getting stuck into the dinner when the protesters started banging on the restaurant window. Around him, diners at the Labour conference lowered knife and fork, momentarily arrested by shock.

Anyone with an outdated tax disc may have got a fright yesterday morning if they were in the vicinity of Kilkenny Castle, as 160 motorcycle police officers gathered in force.