“All the survivors are in touch. We remain very good friends. The memory of ’48 binds us now. We’ve had the pleasure of being that team for so long that we’d like to see these chaps, who have done so well with their Triple Crowns, go that step further. It would be a wonderful memory for them. Those of us who are left would be more than happy for another Irish side to win the Grand Slam. We’ve dined out on this for long enough, so it’s time to pass it on.”

– Jack Kyle, before he and the other surviving members of the 1948 team did, indeed, pass it on in Cardiff on Saturday.