The day of reckoning has arrived: Garda reform must be supported

As our rugby team discovered at Twickenham on Saturday, intent and delivery are very different things. They can be divided by a chasm very difficult, if not impossible, to cross. Modest Saturday morning predictions suggested all was well enough in the Irish camp and even if a victory was not anticipated then a good performance would be delivered. How wrong that wishful thinking was. England, by refusing to concede an inch, and by ruthlessly applying the great force they have accumulated, delivered a rout that must have a profound psychological impact on both sets of players. Whether our team, especially its older members, ever recover from this humiliation is an open question. If they were to do so before the World Cup begins in a month’s time it would be nothing short of miraculous. Yet, despite that bruising reality check, it offered lessons applicable on a far wider plane.

There are striking parallels between the challenges faced by coach Joe Schmidt when he took over the Irish team six years ago and the challenges faced by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris when he was appointed in January.