Challenging season ahead for O’Sullivan

AS approach routes go, Greystones to Lansdowne Road via Siberia is circuitous even by the low standards of Dublin’s traffic congestion.

Yet despite the demanding, and in some cases damaging, effects of last weekend's trek to Krasnoyarsk, Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan can still find a little humour in the experience as he turns his attention to tomorrow's Georgian challenge.

"The irony of it all," O'Sullivan said, "is we've now travelled further to play this game than Georgia have, which is a strange one. We're not really complaining, we're just recognising the fact that we knew it would be like this. But there's no doubt this has taken its toll and we knew it would.