Identity crisis putting rugby side off its game

THE controversy surrounding the IRFU’s decision to dispense with the national anthem and flag goes further than the stated effort to accommodate players from the North.

The identity of the Irish rugby team has become so diluted it hardly stands for anything at all. It seems the IRFU operates as if Ireland were still a united country within the UK.

After all, the Triple Crown is a trophy contested between the three ‘kingdoms’ of Ireland, Scotland and England/Wales.