WITH the destination (France) of the Guinness Six Nations Championship almost a certainty ahead of the weekend, Ireland appeared to be happy with a third-place finish.
Sunday’s match with Italy was one of stops and starts, cards and warnings, along with bundles of those dreaded TMOs which have added nothing to the enjoyment of the sport.
Ireland can consider themselves lucky to have won.
Should the last referee’s decision have gone the other way, Italy could well have nicked a match-winning late try.
All the focus is now on ‘what happens next’ regarding the future of Irish Rugby.
It is a time of change for Ireland and there is uncertainty within the provinces on the quality of the players coming through.
Going by recent Under-20 results at the highest level, the future is not bright.
There will be a long break before we have Internationals but we can look forward to the meeting of the All Blacks at Soldier Field, Chicago, in November.
Meanwhile in the URC, Munster are happily positioned in fifth but will need an improved performance from the Edinburgh outing to better Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium on Friday (7.35pm).
The Champions Cup outing with La Rochelle is only around the corner (April 5).
On the club front, the staging of the Munster Senior Challenge Cup at Thomond Park saw Nenagh Ormond lift the trophy for the first time since they were founded in 1884.
Their opponents, Old Crescent, were also seeking a first success since they trotted out in this city for their first 80 minutes of rugby in 1947.
Crescent’s 32-20 defeat means they will now have to await another season.
It was a joy to be at Sunday’s decider, and on the way into the match the memories from the halcyon days of local Limerick rugby in the 1990s flooded back.
