How winning in France became our barometer of quality

It was while gazing through the NFL schedule for 2014, which was revealed earlier this week, and other gridiron-related matters that our eyes happened to stray across a well-worn quote from John Madden, the Hall of Fame ex-coach, broadcasting legend and the face of millions of American football computer games around the world.

“Self-praise is for losers,” he once said. “Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class and be humble.” It’s doubtful Mourad Boudjellal has heard of it. If he has, he’s never heeded it. This is the Toulon owner who sat down with the media, minutes after the Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat of Leinster at Stade Felix Mayol, and declared resolutely that his side would not lose to Munster in the semi-final.

Numerous articles have already been written and opinions voiced on such brashness, one of the reasons being that such bold statements of intent are all but anathema to Irish people. As a race, we have long tended to suffer any form of praise to be aimed our way rather than soak it in. As for praising ourselves? God, no.