Disappointment must be parked as Irish stars answer provincial calls

It is a recurring theme in a coach’s lexicon when discussing the loss of players to both injury or poor form that one player’s misfortune is another’s opportunity.

So with that in mind, there may well have been a spring in the step of some players as they returned to their provinces yesterday as they sensed the door reopening for World Cup squad selection following last Saturday’s awful Ireland performance against Wales in Cardiff.