Result leaves one coach with a lot of explaining to do

That Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies both played wonderfully well in the thrashing of the Wallabies doesn’t completely justify Warren Gatland’s cruel dismissal of Brian O’Driscoll, but it surely saves him from having to do a heck of a lot of explaining in the days and years to come.

The Irish contingent, both transient and permanent, who were in this part of the world the past week were furious when the news came through on Wednesday, so I can only begin to imagine what the mood was like in Ireland itself.

My Kerry-born grandfather died 70 years ago and was a hurling man, but I still sensed I heard him having a decent old grumble when the news came through that he, in whom we trust, couldn’t even find a spot on the bench.