TV critics miss mutterings of George Hook

A new Six Nations campaign and a familiar old face is missing. The face of Irish rugby, a man admired by millions, a great moral and spiritual leader, a crucial part of the fabric of the nation. 

In the name of all that’s good and holy, how are we possibly going to survive without George Hook? He is absent. Departed. Imithe. Elsewhere. (That chap of the O’Connells is no longer with us either but that’s neither here nor there.) As if to acknowledge the void, RTÉ have temporarily done away with the studio and Daire O’Brien is pitchside with Ronan O’Gara, Shane Horgan and Conor O’Shea.

The retirement of Captain Hook may constitute good news for viewers of a nervous disposition but it’s extremely bad news for people who have to write about TV coverage of the match. The presence of George was a permanent comfort blanket. Mr Foghorn always had something to say for himself, usually by means of a loudhailer, and he never minded if it was vaguely preposterous. The more preposterous, in fact, the better.