Simon Easterby seems to be enjoying this. He reminds us of his umbilical connection to Italy and the Six Nations – all three came into the top end of the rugby world at the same time – and how 25 years after his international debut he has picked up a few things along the way. Like staying calm and measured in the face of setbacks: for example the loss of two automatic starters from his front five.
Not for the first time in his career Tadhg Furlong, a man familiar with how farming works, has an issue with a troublesome calf. Joe McCarthy on the other hand is a city boy getting to grips with a nose bent out of shape in a training-ground collision that sounds painful and concussive. Losing Furlong at any time is bad news; adding McCarthy, who surely felt the need to balance the books with George Martin after the powerhouse display by the England lock at Twickenham last season, robs Ireland of carrying power and sheer grunt.
