Is Tommy Bowe the answer at full-back?

IT’S so long since Ireland lost a game that one had forgotten how bad it feels. Those once familiar pictures of dejected figures in green jerseys at the final whistle had almost faded into sepia-tone. It was inevitable that a reality check would come at some stage and the fact that it occurred in Paris shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Overall the quality of rugby last weekend was a marked improvement on round one. Some teams are now up and running and confidence is soaring. The game of the weekend was in Cardiff, with Wales showing some incredible fortitude to win a game that seemed beyond their reach. To score 17 points in six minutes is a remarkable achievement at this level, even if the Welsh were aided by some crass naivety from Scotland. Little wonder Andy Robinson was so crestfallen at the end.

Scotland played their best rugby in years and not only finished empty-handed, but also lost three key players for the rest of the championship. It never ceases to amaze me when professional players show such a lack of awareness of the laws of the game. Down to 13 men and locked together on 24 points apiece, all the Scots had to do was kick the restart dead and the game was over. In the circumstances a draw would have offered some tangible reward for their outstanding efforts. In the end — nothing.