Whither the red rose?

BRIAN ASHTON must feel that if he is never to see Dublin again, it would be too soon.

After his miserable 21-month role as Irish team coach back in the 1990s, he led his England team into the fabulous Croke Park stadium shortly after 3 o’clock on Saturday. Some six hours later, he trudged forlornly out of the fabulous GAA headquarters — now that we’ve savoured it, can we ever leave again! — like a man in a trance having, to use his own word, been “stuffed” by an Irish team full value for every one of their record thirty points winning margin.

It’s history now how England’s shortcomings, already evident against Italy, were cruelly exposed by a rampant Irish XV. Eddie O’Sullivan was being both charitable to the opposition and paying due tribute to his own side when he suggested that “this was more a case of Ireland playing well than England playing badly.”