There is no talk of winning or losing in the Irish or the Russian camps this week. Nobody doubts which way the result will fall when they meet in Kobe tomorrow. This game will be about so much more than the numbers beside each nation’s name at the final whistle.

Italy racked up the second-highest points tally in their history as they stormed to an 85-15 World Cup warm-up victory over Russia today.

Catholics’ thoughts turned to who might replace their beloved pope as the cardinals, silenced by an unprecedented pledge to not reveal their thinking, prepared to meet again today to plan next week’s conclave to select a new leader to replace John Paul II.