Frank Sinatra’s first (and only) freelance photography assignment came at Madison Square Garden on 8 March 1971. It was the night of the first encounter between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali and, finding ringside tickets rather hard to come by, the singer sought commission from Life magazine to ensure the perfect view.
You somehow doubt Sinatra would have had quite so much difficulty finding a seat at the Aviva Stadium this weekend but Ireland vs France might just have tickled Sinatra’s fancy, were he still around. Rugby’s “Fight of the Century”? That would be overstating it, but the circumstances make this heavyweight clash an appropriate occasion for the sort of pomp this championship does best.
