Jack Carty crowned a glorious week as he celebrating his call-up to the Irish squad by scoring the match-winning try three minutes from time to send Connacht into the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup.

It says a lot about Connacht under Andy Friend that they were disappointed not to claim a bonus-point win over Top 14 outfit Bordeaux-Bègles as both teams tested the extent of their squads. But the coach left his players in no doubt that they have to improve their discipline or risk being dropped.

Joe Schmidt has turned to Niall Scannell as the hooker to tighten up Ireland’s scrummaging power for the must-win second Test against Australia at AAMI Park tomorrow morning.

To most rugby fans in Ireland he was the Wallabies’ debutant hooker, an emergency selection for Michael Cheika after the first three in line fell by the wayside.