Front-row issues not new or easily fixed
Bear in mind that all of those, with the notable exception of Alex Cuthbert, were at the World Cup for two weeks and two games longer than Ireland. Yet not only did they manage to carry the disappointment of that heart-breaking semi-final defeat to France and deal with the subsequent fallout from the Warburton sending off, but they came back with renewed enthusiasm and determination to surmount a potentially catastrophic run of injuries to capture the Grand Slam. Contrast that with the torture and abject pain etched on the faces of the Irish players after the nightmare afternoon they were forced to endure in Twickenham.
The last decade has been one of the most successful and decorated in the history of Irish rugby at international level but when compared to what Wales has achieved — three Grand Slams in eight seasons — it does make you realise we should have achieved more with the quality of player at hand. One Grand Slam for the likes of Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara, John Hayes and Paul O’Connell seems a little sparse when you consider that Gethin Jenkins, Ryan and Adam Jones collected their third on Saturday. That is one more for each of them than Ireland have achieved in our entire rugby history.
