Mason can’t miss big occasion

Simon Mason turned up at Lansdowne Road bright and early for the game of his life, a net of balls slung over his shoulder.

Ulster’s full-back arrived straight from the breakfast table eager to go through his pre-match ritual, an 11th-hour check aimed at ensuring his place-kicking would be in proper order when it came to doing it for real later in the day. For his trouble, Mason found himself locked out.

Somebody had forgotten to tell the security staff or, if the message had been passed on, it got lost somewhere down the line.