England v Ireland: From a kick in the head to a kiss at the end for Maloney-McDonalds

It was a memorable afternoon at Twickenham for the married couple on opposing sides.

Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald of Ireland and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald of England kiss after the Women's Six Nations Rugby Championship match. Pic Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

When the lyricist Sammy Cahn penned the line “Ain’t Love A Kick In The Head?” you can be sure he did not intend his words to be taken literally, and certainly not on an international rugby pitch.

Yet when the Moloney-MacDonalds, England wing Claudia and Ireland hooker Clíodhna, faced each other for the first time as Test rivals that was one of the unintended consequences of a memorable afternoon for the married couple and Exeter Chiefs team-mates.