The Rugby

Bitter. And twisted. 90 seconds to go, I mean, how cruel was that. And to think they had come so far! Not just in terms of the game, resurrecting themselves as they did from that infernal slump that has infected every start in every game of any significance for the past two seasons. But in terms of their development from a group of undoubtedly talented footballers in 2000 to a seasoned, hard team of winners, moving beyond nearly men with a Heineken Cup win against Biarritz that they owned - notwithstanding a poor start. They had come so far, and needed to beat France to prove that they had moved to the next level. They have not. Pretenders. Will they beat England? Maybe. Otherwise, dammit, this team may have peaked in the Autumn of 2006 instead of in the Autumn of 2007. Maybe, just maybe, it's a ruse by Eddie O'Sullivan. Maybe it's all about the WRC for him. Maybe it's a plan to get at the French, to bestow upon all comers a false sense of security. Maybe we'll beat the hun 48-0 on Saturday week. Or maybe we just came up short. Again.