English rugby's collective neck has been wound in after a fairly chastening November series in which they were flattered to only lose by three points to New Zealand and then were defeated by a Springbok team who had lost the previous week in Lansdowne Road.
Brian Moore, usually regarded by sensitive Celtic sorts as the epitome of Anglo-Saxon bullishness, has seen the light and now suspects that England are in fact not the most likely team to strike a blow against Southern hemisphere dominance in the 2015 World Cup.
The difference from a few weeks ago is that it is Ireland and not England who look best placed to break the stranglehold of the south on global rugby.
Like everyone, he likes the look of the half-back combination and the tactical intelligence that have marked Ireland's performances under their coach.
He suggests that the biggest bar to Ireland's chances is their reluctance to wear the mantle of favouritism - highlighting the fact that Paul O'Connell and Rory Best both urged caution after Saturday. This argument is not new or sophisticated but we'll see.
