Eddie’s Irish poser

FOR weeks after the November internationals, an air of deep gloom and foreboding hung over Irish rugby.

Defeats by New Zealand and Australia followed by a meaningless win over lowly Romania convinced many observers that an era had passed and the Six Nations held nothing but doom and gloom.

However, two great matches over the weekend, rightly or wrongly, have altered the scenario quite radically. The manner in which Munster and Leinster demolished Sale and Bath in the Heineken Cup is being hailed as a major turning point and suggests that coach Eddie O'Sullivan will be blessed with unforeseen riches when he trims his squad of 35 down to 22 tomorrow. Just put out the Munster pack and the Leinster backs and nobody will stop us is the predictable but facile demand from many quarters. While it may be understandable to think along those lines, such a strategy doesn't survive even the most cursory examination.