Conor O’Shea must rebuild a Roman empire lying in ruin

Had the Six Nations been around in Ancient Rome, Julius Caesar would have been out on his imperial ear. He’d have been ridiculed for letting the place go to wrack and ruin long before the Colosseum collapsed or The Forum went to pot.

It comes to something when a faraway team from what was once the western rim of Caesar’s empire, Hibernia Romana, swans in and out, leaving a trail of new wreckage among the old. The extent of the heaviest damage can be gauged in a matter of minutes.

Craig Gilroy’s hat-trick may have been the fastest in the tournament by an Irishman but in Olympic terms it would only just squeeze him onto the podium in the bronze medal position. The substitute Ulsterman needed precisely 14 minutes and three seconds from start to finish.