It seems a little odd to describe Jeremy Staunton (above) as someone who is getting there following his phenomenal impact of last season. He travelled to Australia with the Ireland squad last summer as a 19-year-old but there things started to go wrong. He sustained an injury, played through it in the SANZAR Under-21 tournament in Argentina, limiting his effectiveness.
On returning home he was forced to take a three-month break from the game and it undoubtedly left time for mind and body to recover. The evidence is in his performances for the national under-21 side. He was exceptional in the 20-11 defeat by England in Banbury, frequently breaching the first line of defence.
His display against Scotland on Friday was no less assured, his place-kicking, an occasional Achilles heel, wonderfully accurate. He even managed to score a try for a personal tally of 21 points.
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