Occasionally it is refreshing to hear opinions from outside Ireland that are not tempered because of the fear of bruising feelings. Springbok skipper Gary Teichmann, interviewed in this month's sports magazine Total Sport, was asked the question - what have players done to wind you up ? Being South African, his answer was straight from the hip.

"Last year when the Irish came and toured South Africa they were just there to keep the score down. They played really negative rugby, holding you when they didn't have the ball and generally irritating me. There wasn't one specific guy - it was just they way the entire team approached the game."

If Ireland get to a Lansdowne Road quarter-final in the World Cup and somehow then beat France (probable opposition), it may would be worth reading Teichmann's views on Ireland out to, say, Trevor Brennan before the semi-final, where the Springboks will be if they can beat either England or New Zealand.