Punditry can be a tough gig sometimes. The nature of the gig is that you have to have defined opinions that will upset some people. If you aren't upsetting someone you aren't doing it right.
But the trick is to avoid saying something incriminating in front of that person or their friends or family. It's something that a lot of people have done in their lives, and it's deeply embarrassing. In his column for the Irish Independent, Alan Quinlan tells us of a time when he did just that.
He speaks of a time when he was watching Ulster against Saracens in the Heineken Cup quarter-final in 2013 - the year after 21-year-old's Paddy Jackson's breakthrough with Ulster and Ireland. He was watching the game in a hotel and found some Ulster fans to watch it with:
I made a point in conversation with an Ulster fan about how much I admired the out-half, I also decided to open my big mouth and suggest that he lacked a little confidence, that something was missing from his game, that he sat too deep in the pocket and that Ulster would have been better off - when they were chasing the game - taking Jackson off and switching Ruan Pienaar to 10.
The person I was talking to? I later discovered it was Paddy Jackson's brother.
Oh Alan. While he may have had a point about Jackson at the time - one that Jackson proved is obsolete with his career year this season - it's not something you want to say in front of the then 21-year-old's family.
At least Quinlan has the sense of humour to joke about it now.
