Madam, - If the national rugby team are too embarrassed to sing the anthem of the country they are playing for, is it any surprise they fail to perform when the game kicks off?
The IRFU has landed us in a no-win muddle, with some of the team ignoring the the national anthem, and others ignoring the sub-Eurovision embarrassment that is Ireland's Call, while the crowd opt for The Fields of Athenry.
Sport has an unrivalled capacity to bring people together, as it did during the worst of the Troubles, when giants of the game such as Willie John McBride graced Lansdowne Road. One jersey, one flag, one anthem. It worked. - Yours, etc,
FERGAL RYAN, Brighton Avenue, Rathgar, Dublin 6.