Closing the book on an incredible body of work

Nestled at the end of the second paragraph of the IRFU’s official statement on Jamie Heaslip’s retirement was the fact that the Leinster No 8 had appeared 95 times for his country and played the full 80 minutes for 72 of them.

If the thought of Mr Indestructible having his career curtailed by injury jarred yesterday morning, then so did that: 72 feels like way too low a number for a man who was always there when the big days dawned and still standing when they ended.

Heaslip was a one-off.