Ireland touch down in Brisbane today with head coach Joe Schmidt striving to find a balance between the long-term objective of a history-making World Cup campaign and the more immediate desire to extend a record unbeaten run with a series win over Australia.

Its genius was its simplicity but Ireland only had themselves to blame for Alex Dunbar’s first-half try at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Rory Best began the week being compared to a fine wine, such has been the Ireland captain’s improvement with age, and the man of the hour yesterday described winning his 100th Test cap as his greatest achievement in rugby.

Ireland may have a deficit of points in the Six Nations but there’s no shortage of leaders, according to CJ Stander.

Cian Healy could not watch and Mike Ross had his head in his hands as Ireland hung on for the victory that gave them their first medals in Test rugby.

Terrace-talker Richard Kurt is asking fellow Manchester United fans to believe in the impossible

Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll bristled at Australia’s claim his side won today’s Test at Lansdowne Road because of the conditions – and declared: “We played all the rugby”.

THERE’S always been a good Old Trafford indicator of how much a player is loved: music. Naturally, George was honoured by plenty of terrace songs - still is, in fact.