Moving on from Patrick’s Day mauling

Having been part of the 2008 squad that lost 33-10 to England in what was Eddie O’Sullivan’s last game in charge, I know how deep the review of Saturday’s defeat will run.

I actually believe that in the long run it will prove to be a good thing for Ireland, once we take the lessons learned from it seriously and put in place a proper programme that will ensure that Declan Kidney has a pool of props to pick from the next time we go back to England in 2013.

At international level, the squad is only 22 deep, in comparison to the 23 required for the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup.