If you hear what sounds like a klaxon, it’s because what follows is a mention of hurling and the movie “Gladiator” in the same breath.

On the face of it, the resemblance between Noel Dempsey and Scipio Africanus is minimal. Scipio was aquiline and thin in the hair department. Noel Dempsey is non-aquiline and most of his hair is still with him.