The decision to postpone Ireland's three remaining matches in the Six Nations Championship until next season was the only realistic option open to the Six Nations Committee because of the ongoing problems in Britain caused by foot-and-mouth disease.

When the new dates for Ireland's three matches, against Wales in Cardiff, England in Dublin and Scotland in Edinburgh were announced, the situation was that those dates were dependent on the foot-and-mouth outbreak in England being over for 30 days prior to the matches. That unfortunately has not happened, thus further postponement was inevitable.

The good thing about the decision that the matches would be deferred until next season is that it removes the doubt that existed and plans for the remainder of the season can now be made. It should also help the AIL clubs with regard to availability of players. Since the resumption of the league a fortnight ago, I have seen three games and all were excellent matches well worthy of anyone's patronage.

The deferment of the three internationals means of course, that the schedule next season is going to be hectic, with Ireland scheduled to play six internationals in the early months of the season. In addition to the Six Nations matches. Ireland will play Canada, Western Samoa and New Zealand. Then add in the Heineken Cup and the Celtic League and there is some very important work to be done on the schedule.

There does not seem any doubt that the Celtic League will go ahead and apparently the arrangements, sponsorship and television are very well advanced. In those circumstances there will not be any retreat from inaugurating the league.

There were options explored in relation to playing Ireland's three outstanding Six Nations matches at neutral venues, especially the Ireland-England match. But the Welsh and the Scots would not play the matches other than in Cardiff and Edinburgh. It is very hard to blame them for standing firm on that issue. Not least there were obvious financial considerations involved for them and both unions need all the money they can get right now.

Apart from the considerable logistical problems of Ireland playing England in Paris, as suggested, once the Ireland matches against Wales and Scotland could not be accommodated, playing the Ireland-England match and leaving the other two outstanding until next season would inevitably have devalued those matches, especially had England beaten Ireland and the championship had been decided.

"The further postponements are not surprising but of course it is very disappointing to see the championship disrupted as it has been," said IRFU president Eddie Coleman.

In the given circumstances, however unfortunate they were and are, the decision to defer the three championship matches until next season was the sensible and logical course to take.

There could be another benefit from it too. If Munster beat Stade Francais in the Heineken Cup semi-final as we all hope they will, the Munster players on the national team will not be faced with the prospect of playing a Heineken Cup final and three internationals on four successive weekends.

There are times when some of the comments that emanate from the English clubs - and not to mention some of their activities - defy belief and logic. The attitudes of presumption, supreme arrogance and total disregard they have shown for anything other than their own interests, are there for all to see.

Those clubs and their owners talk about how they own the players and therefore feel entitled to fashion things to suit themselves. But of course by International Board law they must release the players. Let us remember this and let London Irish bear it uppermost in their minds, no less than their Premier League cohorts in England. These are the clubs that stripped the game in this country and other countries of its assets - the players - six years ago.

From an Irish perspective London Irish topped the list. They targeted the internationals - players who had reached that status through the Irish clubs and the development process of the game in this country.

There the newly-installed owners of those clubs, some of whom would not know whether a rugby ball is pumped or stuffed, were going to run the game and enrich themselves.

The London Irish club was once an organisation that could truthfully be described as an extension of the game in this country. Not any more it is not. How many Irish players are currently playing on the club's first XV? This is the club that, after signing Irish players, promised they would be released to play for their provinces in the European Cup and then tried to stop the players from doing just that. This the club whose then chief executive tried to talk down to the IRFU and the provinces and we had talk of legal action.

It is also the club whose outgoing Director of Rugby Dick Best can scarcely be described as having been very co-operative with the Ireland team management. Best also criticised the IRFU for putting in place the means by which Irish players could return here to play their rugby, while at the same time keeping others playing in this country.

The London Irish club is an integral part of the first division set up in England and all it embraces. This is the club whose newly-installed coach Brendan Venter now tells us should be the fifth Irish province. Does he think we are all suffering from an acute loss of memory? He is living in cloud cuckoo land. They will be representing themselves and their English first division allies in Europe not Ireland or Irish rugby.