Not counting chickens, but trophies an issue

THE PROTOCOL for next Saturday’s trophy presentations has yet to be finalised, with tournament organisers obliged to factor in two scenarios. Should Wales win by fewer than 13 points, there will be a scenario whereby the home captain will be presented first with the lesser prize of a Triple Crown, before the Irish team is presented with the Six Nations trophy on the centre of the pitch to the backdrop of a sponsor’s podium.

A tournament spokesman yesterday admitted: “If Wales win by a margin of one to 12 points then it is still to be confirmed what exactly we will do and we are looking at the possibilities.”

It had been suggested that, in this scenario, the Welsh captain might accept the Triple Crown trophy (which only came into existence when Ireland won it in 2004), and might then go to a presentation box in the main stand – although there is no access to it via the pitch at the Millennium Stadium.

“It’s not confirmed and we are still working on it, but if we were to have a Triple Crown presentation it would probably be on the pitch and it will be very small and very quick,” the spokesman added.

The Six Nations trophy presentation would be made by the chairman, David Pickering, who would most probably present the Triple Crown as well, although there is a possibility that Britain’s Prince William could make the lesser presentation. He is expected to attend, but tournament organisers have so far received no official request for him to present the trophy.

In any event, all of this raises the possibility of scenes akin to Ireland’s 20-14 win over England in 2001, when Matt Dawson and his team-mates stood glumly on the podium in the middle of the pitch to accept the trophy, having been rapped on the knuckles for not doing so in Murrayfield the previous year after being beaten by the Scots.

A trophy for the Five Nations was only introduced, along with points difference as a deciding factor, in 1992, which also led to Ieuan Evans receiving the trophy in 1994 from the queen after losing 20-5 at Twickenham after looking like he had chewed on a lemon.

The likely presence of the prince also has uncanny echoes of 1969, when an Irish team captained by Tom Kiernan was going for the Grand Slam in Cardiff Arms Park and were beaten 22-9. Then Prince Charles was guest of honour.

Ironically, the closer Wales come to bridging the points differential while winning, but come up short, the more Gatland’s selection against Italy will be questioned.

Of course, were Ireland to win it would make for an altogether more appropriate presentation, with the winners scooping both trophies.

There is also the minor matter of Lions selections, and not least the captaincy, with the three main contenders, Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell and Ryan Jones, all on show, while both countries are likely to boast large contingents.

All that will be revealed, it was confirmed yesterday, at a Heathrow hotel on Tuesday, April 21st, just over a week after the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.