The tale of four centres obliterates all thoughts of Boks invasion

WHAT with an election in Ireland yesterday and the mother of all storms coming in from the west, the rugby faithful weren’t short of conversation subjects before a fascinating game between two unbeaten sides looking to launch their 2020 Six Nations campaign in earnest.

- BRENDAN GALLAGHER

A pivotal match by any criteria which was ultimately won in impressive style, with a try bonus to boot, by a much-improved Ireland. They head off to Twickenham next with the wind in their sails.

All the more remarkable then that the unlikely subject of South Africa joining an expanded Six Nations should feature so prominently in the pre-match blather – a rather incongruous and frankly unbelievable prospect to contemplate on this most traditional of Championship weekends.

Generations of Welsh revellers have trekked across the Irish sea for their rites of passage lost weekend in Dublin with a few even getting to the match itself. Such an occasion is the Six Nations writ large so where exactly do South Africa fit into such a scenario?

Nobody really wants it except the new money men and nobody thinks it will or should happen but rugby is so volatile at present you totally reject it at your peril.

Not unlike politics, rugby seems to currently exist in a parallel universe. We are expected to treat the abnormal and odd as bog-standard and understand instantly that nothing is ever set in stone. Inconveniences such as geography, parentage and country of birth are airbrushed out of the equation and strange, possibly alcohol-fuelled, ‘blue-sky thinking’ like the Boks playing Six Nations rugby is apparently to be taken at face value.