Lost in wilderness of the international break

The displaced gathered listlessly in shopping centres and parks and various public amenities last Saturday afternoon.

You could identify the truly broken by the way they looked around blankly, half-seeing things they had never truly seen before. Their heads weren’t buried in their phones because there were no scores to check. The prospect of making it home for a second half quickened nobody’s stride.

Back in the homes and bars, those too set in their natural routines scanned the spectrum of Sky Sports and BT Sport and eir Sport for solace. There is even a suggestion that in parts of Rugby Country they switched on rugby, the added scrutiny causing Connacht to buckle entirely.