By what distortion, by what confusion of values, could anyone compare the game of rugby to the Resistance?” asked Nicolas Gurgand in the French magazine L’Express. The question refers to the letter that was read out by the French team in advance of their fragile performance in the opening game of the Rugby World Cup. The letter at the centre of the controversy was written by Guy Muquet, a 17-year-old Resistance hero, just before his execution in 1941. It begins: “My little adored mummy, my adored baby brother, my little daddy, whom I love so much, I am going to […]

It was expected to be a game Ireland would win with points to spare. Dispensing the minnows. Building confidence in preparation for sterner tests to come. In the end, Ireland were hanging on against the robust Georgians. So what has happened to Ireland’s ‘A’ game? Where is the team carrying their nations hope and dreams? It is not that Ireland lack the experience. It is not that they lack the skill. What they may be encumbered by is over-preparation. Over-preparation by manager Eddie O’Sullivan. These are players who look as if they are having too much to think about. Too […]