Same old story as Irish caught cold

IT’S PROBABLY the worst feeling in sport to come off the fieldregretting what might have been.

It was no cake walk in the ‘Cake Tin’ for New Zealand last Saturday, but you couldn’t help feeling that Ireland had allowed another glorious opportunity of a first Test win over the All Blacks to slip through their fingers.

This Ireland team are past the point of glorious defeats and all week they prepared themselves to be mentally strong in the final 10-15 minutes — alas it was during this period that the All Blacks pulled clear. It’s why the word ‘clinical’ is always associated with that black jersey. Give them an inch and they’ll take your smile.