Neal Collins
A million years ago, when foot and mouth rather than Bin Laden threatened civilisation, England’s rugby players were heading for a Six Nations grand slam.
Only Warren Gatland’s rejuvenated Ireland and the dreaded foot and mouth disease could stop Clive Woodward’s men claiming the reward they had been denied by Wales and Scotland in recent years.
Now, six months on, the 2001 Grand Slam still beckons. Older, wiser and shocked by subsequent events, both Ireland and England remain unbeaten in the delayed Six Nations championship.
Now we must hope that the Irish can maintain the form that saw Italy and France dispatched before their borders were ridiculously closed to rugby folk (but not football fans or ordinary tourists) all those weeks ago.
On Saturday, an unremarkable Scotland provide the opposition. Hopefully Brian O’Driscoll will shrug off his Lions tour disappointment and lead the charge: Rob Henderson is injured and Peter Stringer has been axed at scrumhalf for Murrayfield.
Strange that. Stringer was magic for Munster in their 52-10 win over Cardiff at the weekend but Gatland and Co have gone for the more robust approach of Guy Easterby, who plays for … Cardiff.
We can only hope that’s the right decision. Against injury-ravaged Scotland, you suspect their theory won’t be too rigorously inspected.
Another interesting change: Guy’s brother Simon Easterby comes in for Alan Quinlan at flank. He too is a Cardiff man. Both brothers missed huge chunks of last season with injuries; Guy had a broken leg while Simon’s Achilles tendon forced him out for most of the winter.
My prediction: Ireland by 10 points, something like 34-24 against a Scotland side lacking Cammy Murray, Kenny Logan and Martin Leslie.