Ronan O'Gara: If Ireland was a stock market share, they’d be over-valued

The public conversation about this being the greatest Irish team is one thing, but the debate about being the best team in the world, and by a significant distance, mind, is ill-informed.

CRUNCH: Robbie Henshaw get the pass away under pressure from England's Ollie Chessum in the dramatic Six Nations clash at Twickenham Stadium. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

ANYONE who has suffered in a coaching box felt the impact of the collision that led to Calvin Nash’s early withdrawal at Twickenham last Saturday. If it wasn’t the primary reason for Ireland’s loss, it was one of several defining moment in the defeat.

In the Ireland coaching box, the significance of the injury was lost on no-one. You’ve seen the guy skittled, it’s a knockout and a stretcher moment. But right there in real time, that queasy gut feeling is about the fact we’ve gone 6-2 on the bench. You’re now in an ‘uh oh’ moment. This is trouble.