Parting such sweet sorrow

THERE will be mixed emotions for Brian O’Brien when the final whistle sounds at Lansdowne Road tomorrow.

The Ireland-France game is his last on native soil as manager of the national side, and while he has enjoyed his five years at the helm, he appreciates it is time, at 66, and with the team doing so well, to stand down.

At the end of the season, he’ll settle back to life in Ballyclough, Limerick, with his wife Olive and family, and will reflect on a term that saw dark days at the outset replaced by some sparkling occasions in latter years.