As the dust settled on the failure of Ireland's Rugby World Cup bid, the Sunday journalists got to work. Today's papers are filled with extra detail on where the bid went awry: the nations that let Ireland down and how the French swooped in to collect the hosting rights ahead of ourselves and South Africa.
The pieces we recommend most highly are Peter O'Reilly's in The Sunday Times, and a Sunday Independent article penned by John Greene and Jim Glennon. (The latter has yet to be posted online).
What emerges from both reports is that, in spite of the fact that Ireland collected a measly eight votes and were eliminated in the first round of voting, it was actually a much tighter call than expected. In fact, had either Wales or Scotland backed Ireland at the ballot box, it would likely have made all the difference. The votes of either of those neighbours would have knocked South Africa out of the running, meaning Ireland would probably have picked up votes from New Zealand and Argentina, and others who reneged on initial pledges to Ireland to support the recommendation of the technical review.
Instead, Wales went for South Africa while Scotland voted for France. Wales, apparently, wanted to back World Rugby's technical report given Gareth Davies' position with World Rugby, but as both reports point out, England backed Ireland in spite of the fact that Bill Beaumont - World Rugby's chairman - is an Englishman.
O'Reilly has more detail on why Scotland may have voted for France:
Already, the Scots have a murky-looking 'performance pathway' tie-up with Stade Nicois in the French fourth division, a club which has hosted several Scottish academy players and which, perhaps more pertinently given Murrayfield's naming rights are soon up for grabs, are backed by Allianz. In June, Claude Atcher, Laporte's [France's] bid director, arranged a Test between Scotland and Italy in Singapore.
Elsewhere, the Sunday Independent ponder how this disappointment for Ireland may affect the relationship in the Pro14 going forward, citing Brian O'Driscoll's "what goes around, comes around" assertion on Newstalk on Friday night.
Given the financial strength of the Irish provinces at the moment, will a time come when Wales and Scotland come knocking on Ireland's door only to find that door very much bolted shut?
Elsewhere in is deeply critical of the voting process, and seems exceptionally disappointed that the tournament will not be awarded to South Africa. He is critical, too, of England for backing the Irish bid.
If true, that staggers me. It let down Bill Beaumont, now the chairman of World Rugby and the most respected man that English rugby has produced and who drove the new process. With respect, large parts of the Irish bid was flannel - notably the rubbish about galvanising American rugby with the Irish diaspora, the reliance on the prospect of craic, and the rather frail insistence that the stadiums were very good.
For the RFU to be entranced by such blarney is beyond any explanation. And Ireland? Dick Spring, one of their bid leaders, whined like mad after the vote that their Celtic cousins did not vote in Ireland's favour. But why on earth should they? The issue is way bigger than shaking hands with your neighbour over his hedge. Spring's observation was exactly the kind of parish-pump nonsense which marked too much of Ireland's bid.
True to form, at least. It's well worth reading these reports in full.
[Sunday Times; Sunday Independent]
