Exhausted but elated, steady Eddie Savours the moment

UNTOUCHABLE. That’s the word that comes to mind and it’s as good as any to describe Eddie O’Sullivan’s status as Ireland coach after masterminding a second Triple Crown in three years.

A few months ago, there were dark murmurings about O’Sullivan’s stewardship, the difficulty he was experiencing in gelling the outstanding qualities of the Munster pack and the Leinster back-line.

How poorly Ireland had performed in the autumn and how he had chosen the wrong team, how the side wasn’t playing to anything like its full ability and committing schoolboy mistakes, most notably in the horrendous first half in Paris. However, having probably exceeded expectation by winning four out of the five games and captured the new Triple Crown trophy, there are many critics now consuming copious quantities of humble pie.