Carney wings itA couple of weeks ago this column celebrated the achievement of Ireland's Brian Carney and the success he has enjoyed at Wigan Warriors in the rugby league code.
We also suggested that Ireland's rugby union coach Eddie O'Sullivan might care to take a look at the 27-year-old former Gaelic footballer who has gone on to become one of the top wings in rugby league.
Much as England have done with several players, perhaps most notably Jason Robinson, and Wales with Iestyn Harris, Ireland's national rugby union team would benefit from a player of Carney's ability. Last Saturday, Carney made his debut for the Great Britain team, qualifying on a three-year residency rule - he is still entitled to play for the Ireland rugby league team for whom he has eight caps and three tries - against the best rugby league team in that code, Australia.
The home side were reduced to 12 men after just 12 seconds of the game at Wigan when Adrian Morley was sent off for a high tackle. Carney should have had to endure a torrid afternoon but instead, and despite the fact that Britain lost narrowly, ended up being something of a hero by grabbing two tries.
The first was reasonably straightforward but Carney did fantastically well to beat four Australians to the corner flag and somehow manage to ground the ball one-handed for the second. Barring injury he is destined to play in the remaining two games of the series, both of which will be shown live on Sky Sports, starting next Saturday (6 p.m.).
Scots' disadvantage
It seems that several of the coaches at the Rugby World Cup aren't that enamoured of the quality of refereeing and there have even been whispers that some have been known to favour the Southern Hemisphere giants, Australia and New Zealand.
Certainly New Zealand referee Steve Walsh - he of the famous touchline incident during the England-Samoa match when England had 16 players on the pitch - hasn't helped explode that theory.
Walsh was disciplined by the IRB for his verbals with an England official but to the surprise of many then restored to the officiating line-up and handed one of the plum quarter-finals. One decision amongst several in the Scotland-Australia quarter-final was roundly criticised and rightly so.
Walsh failed to allow Scotland an advantage when a ball was kicked through and only Kenny Logan was within a country mile of it, thereby suggesting an almost certain try. Instead Walsh whistled and called the Scots back to award them a penalty, warn Australian wing Wendell Sailor about a punch and not even brandish the yellow card.
It'll add grist to the mill for the conspiracy theorists.
Williams shines
With the World Cup reaching the penultimate stage, this column felt it opportune to voice an opinion on those behind the microphone, both in the commentary box and in the studio. Former Leinster coach Matt Williams has been consistently excellent as the commentary box analyst, alongside Ryle Nugent; articulate, insightful and displaying a sense of humour. Who knows, if things don't go well with the Scottish national side - he succeeds Ian McGeechan after the World Cup - he can always take up the microphone again.
Honorable mention, too, for London Irish director of rugby Conor O'Shea. And even though he is still indulging in a little too much hyperbole about his pet subjects on the coaching and playing staffs of the Irish team, George Hook is back to his cantankerous best.
Missing for the early morning Saturday slot, Hook resurfaced and the panel was the better for that. Everyone needs someone to shout at.
RugbySpeak
"I'd go as far as to say that if Richard Hill is not there then England will not win the World Cup."
Former All Black number eight Zinzan Brooke.
"Yes, he is playing very well but if he decides to retire then please don't change his mind because he'll probably end up beating us sometime later!"
French prop Jean-Jacques Crenca on whether or not Irish hooker Keith Wood is playing too well to consider retiring after the World Cup.
"I think that in the sanctuary of the Six Nations we are very comfortable playing them in Cardiff and Twickenham and this is just a complete one-off and you can't overstate that. This is a totally different game especially with Wales coming off the back of a good performance against the All Blacks even though they lost."
Coach Clive Woodward on England's clash with Wales.
"We have conceded two tries in four games so we're the number one country, ahead of anybody else. As always that will be our number one objective going into the game, to keep our defence right up to scratch no matter who we are playing against. We let in a soft try against Uruguay which we are disappointed with."
Woodward again, before Wales made a severe dent in their defence stats yesterday.
"We're extremely annoyed by it . . . We've got a pretty good idea who it is and we're trying to find out as quickly as we can why it's happening."
Australian coach Eddie Jones on the Wallaby team list being leaked to the media before it was announced to the players.
"I think it's just an area of the game that teams have tightened up on and there's a lot of training drills on slowing the ball down and trying to pinch ball at the breakdown. England have been particularly good at it themselves. They know how the rest of us feel now."
Welsh lock Gareth Llewellyn on English complaints about teams slowing the ball down at the breakdown.
"We've played France four times in recent years and we've won three. I think the thing to remember is when you play a team like France, a world-class side, if we get things right on the day it is very possible to win, but if we get things wrong on the day it is very possible to get a good hiding for our troubles."
Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan displaying an eerie prescience with his final sentiment.
