Our English charioteers boring and arrogant? Just banter, innit?

IF YOU ASK ME:Commentating on the Baa-Baas versus the All Blacks classic in 1973, as the likes of Slattery, Williams, Edwards, Bennett and Gibson were being chair-lifted off the pitch, the Welsh maestro Cliff Morgan, choking with emotion, exclaimed, "Let me not say a word now as we look at some of the greatest players of the decade, indeed of all time".

You couldn't argue with him and neither could you argue had the same comment been made about the boy O'Driscoll 40 years later in the same city last Saturday. In fact it appears freakishly like he's getting better, which frankly is bordering on indecent. Imagine how good he could've been had he gone to St Michael's. Relax, 'Rock boys, I'm only pulling your chinos.

There's something more satisfying about Ireland beating Wales than almost any other country. Maybe it's a throwback to decades of agony, watching in horror as Dick Spring-types gallantly lined out for Ireland and Wales gallantly beat the bejaysus out of us.

We're well used to beating England at this stage (bar the blip last year) so it doesn't really have the same thrill any more.

All the verbal jousting, the slagging, the digs that Stuart Lancaster looks like an alien programmed by dark forces, that Owen Farrell is a One Direction reject, that their most dangerous player is actually Samoan, it's verging on boring.

Now that's fighting talk, says you.

Former Lions and Scotland coach Jim Telfer must be a bit bored himself. Coming out (so to speak) recently and accusing the English of . . . wait for it . . . arrogance. How did he come up with that one?

Tagged as arrogant

Leicester prop Dan Cole reacted by saying he was bored with England being tagged as arrogant. Now I'm not certain, but I believe the adage goes "If you're bored, you're boring". So what does that make Dan? Boring and arrogant?

Just a week into the tournament and already there's an outstanding candidate for the Six Nations Most Silly Comment Competition. Taking over "Sitting Bull" Hook's throne (a precarious spot if ever there was one), RTÉ's Donal Lenihan made an immediate impact with his ill-fated pre-match assertion that Italy outhalf Luciano Orquera was "simply not international standard".

And what did the boy Orquera go and do on him? Well he only scythed through the French defence to set up the first try for his captain, converted it, dropped a goal, slotted a couple of penalties, brilliantly gave the scoring pass for his team's decisive second try and won man of the match. D'oh!

I would blame the bad karma from you-know-who's chair, if I was Donal.

The big question in Ireland this week was whether Father Deccie would pick the same team or adopt a horses for courses approach (apologies to anyone eating a burger) against England.

You're unlikely to get a balanced analysis if you happen on BBC's website, where coverage of Ireland's Six Nations campaign is in fact from the BBC Northern Ireland "perspective".

After the team was announced for Cardiff last week, Father Deccie, playing his usual "vague ball" game had to contend with a customary, if mildy accusatory tone from one of the BBC "Norn Iron" reporters. The result was the following:

BBCNI: Ulsssster are of coursssse on top of the Rabo League, yet you've only sssselected two Ulsssstermen on the Irish team, how do you rationalisssse that?

DK: I'm not really aware of how the provinces are represented in the team (yeah, right), it's not really a consideration, we're just picking who we feel are the right lads to do the the job on the day...

BBCNI: Ulssssster'ssss Chrissss Henry hasss been outsssstanding for Ulsssster all sssseassson, it mussst have been a very, very very tough decisssion not to ssselect him as ssstarting number sssseven? Wasssss it?

DK: Well I suppose it's always tough to leave people out, but that's the job and you've just got to get on with it.

(And with that Father Decccie smiled at him with his mouth and told him to feck off with his eyes. There's only one Deccie!)

The 'M' word

Ireland's win dominated most of the week's news, but the word "momentum" competed with the words "horse" and "burger" as the most overused in media circles and whatever about the percentage of "neighers" in our patties, there's no question both Ireland and England go into this game with the "m" word.

Prediction? England to win a tight one. Ireland haven't lost a Six Nations match to England in Lansdowne Road since "Johnson's Red Carpet Day" back in 2003, but you'd fear this England team has a balance and power that will be too much for what will surely be a tiring Ireland team in the second half.

Yes, we look forward to a weekend of Malcolms and Nigels from across the water sticking out like sore thumbs, drinking the black stuff and "avin a larf" in a bar near you.

Brace yourself, Bridget, and get ready for the banter!