Injury impact on Ireland has been seismic

The Irish players aren’t the only ones glad to see the back of this season’s Six Nations.

A combination of very poor weather conditions, even worse refereeing, scrum resets, a dearth of tries and an endless stream of injuries which undermined Ireland’s challenge from the outset, marked the 2013 championship as the worst since the expansion of the tournament back in 2000.

Only Wales and Italy can afford to look back on the tournament with any real degree of satisfaction despite the fact that England travelled to Cardiff on the final day in search of a Grand Slam. Their last two outings against Wales and Scotland negated much of the good work that characterised what had gone before and has left them with a sour taste. That said, it will probably serve Stuart Lancaster and his coaching team no harm, as their young and inexperienced squad continue to develop towards their ultimate goal, the 2015 World Cup.