Tommy Martin: No new broom, but Farrell may yet need a new vision

His squad announcement suggests Andy Farrell is not going to hand the keys of a new era to a bunch of ruddy-cheeked whippersnappers,

STILL HERE: It doesn’t get more short term than naming 37-year-old Cian Healy in the first squad of a four-year cycle, but no one has put the old bull out to pasture yet. 

Sport is all beginnings and endings, an ever-turning wheel. Celebratory bunting then pre-season slog. Burgeoning hope then crushing defeat. The slap on the back, then the kick in the arse.

When the wheel turns after a World Cup like Ireland just had, the traditional springtime renewal of the Six Nations lands with a bit of a jolt. Should we just keep it between the ditches or head off in a different direction?