“And does it mean anything more than that we have a very good team and an even better manager? Probably not, although I’d like to make the point – not for the first time – that there’s nothing wrong with Britain. It’s just the politicians who keep letting us down.”

And then there was one. Well, two actually, but the World Cup third-place play-off is definitely one of those nominally competitive fixtures which presents a fairly robust challenge to my old friend Declan Lynch’s wise maxim that there’s never a good reason not to watch a football match.

It is three years since broadcaster John Creedon took to the byways in a camper van to explore the Wild Atlantic Way.

Only someone living in a cave, and maybe the odd cave man, could deny that there has been a long overdue change in perceptions when it comes to women in sport.

Way back in 1977, Kraftwerk gave us something of their philosophy on Europe Endless, when group co-founder Ralf Hutter sang how “life is timeless”. As usual, they were onto something.

“It won’t be long now…”

A rare mea culpa. In pronouncing, before it started, the new Munster Hurling Championship the Best League in the World, it turns out, in hindsight, that I was grossly understating things. I was selling it short.

Rep of Ireland 0 Norway 2

A galaxy of global football superstars is being lined up for a special tribute game in Cork later this year for the former Manchester United and Celtic player Liam Miller.

I got a call from my old buddy, Niall Gilligan, on Tuesday morning. We were chatting about meeting Fr Harry Bohan for a quiet drink at some stage. 

Michael Cheika saunters into the high school hall at Kelvin State College in the Brisbane suburbs looking wonderfully relaxed in a Wallabies polo shirt and jeans.

The statute of limitations having elapsed, it’s time the following tale were told. Derek McGrath may be temporarily chagrined at having it revealed to the nation but he’ll cope. He’s coped with much worse in the past fortnight.

Of all the emotions Seamus Coleman has endured since his serious injury in March 2017, be it pain or loss, the one that’s lingered most is guilt.

Comparing teams, who’d win a World Cup of hurling if every county was matched off to a country.

After the spotlight shining on the Ireland women’s team at the start of the campaign for unusual reasons, Diane Caldwell feels it only fitting the same should apply at the business end approaches.

We’ll start, given the week that’s in it, with a nod to the Leaving Cert.

The Crusaders got a week off after the Chiefs game up in Hamilton. Some of the squad went off to Fiji for R&R. I’m using the time for a bit of a recharge before heading to Brisbane today ahead of the first test.

Michael Cheika may not have envied Joe Schmidt the task of telling Johnny Sexton he would be watching tomorrow’s kick-off at Suncorp Stadium from the bench but the man who made the call had no hesitation in handing Joey Carbery Ireland’s No. 10 jersey.