With 20 minutes to go in Ireland's facile victory over Italy during this year's Six Nations a record was broken. There were five Connacht players representing Ireland on the pitch. That had never happened before, and it was seen as a fantastic achievement for the Pro12 league leaders.
But had any of the other provinces had five players on the pitch for Ireland at once would it have been such a big deal? If Conor Murray, Zebo, Stander, Earls, and Donnacha Ryan were all on the pitch at once would Munster fans have rejoiced or claimed it was 'about time'.
Given that it had never happened before, Connacht fans are well within their rights to bask in the achievement. But that's not how it should be for the league leaders. So when Connacht no. 8 Eoin McKeon comes out in the media claiming that Connacht players are at a disadvantage when it comes to getting selected in the Ireland squad.
I find that sometimes - possibly not this year - but I would have a lot more caps than some lads from the other provinces and they'd be getting the international nod ahead of me.
Does he have a point? Most definitely. It seems incredible that Denis Buckley hasn't featured at all in an extended Ireland squad. Or that the in-form Tiernan O'Halloran was overlooked in favour of Andrew Conway when Rob Kearney went down with an injury mid Six Nations. Or that Kieran Marmion only has 63 minutes of international rugby under his belt in three years - 20 of those minutes coming in that game against Italy last month.
Maybe that's why Connacht's best players have left the province in search of international rugby. Why Mick Kearney joined Leinster, why Ian Keatley went south to Munster - same for Mike McCarthy and Sean Cronin.
So while the likes of Ultan Dillane and Finlay Bealham are showing Connacht players that it's possible - McKeon outlined the frustration at being overlooked time and again:
I'm thinking, 'I've played so much more games, but they're there purely on the basis that they're playing for a different province, they get the nod'.
You could go on for days comparing players, but at the end of the day Joe is going to pick whoever he is most confident with. Leinster lads have an advantage, because he knows them well.
It's one of those 'outbursts' about international selection that doesn't really happen in Ireland. Not since Darren Cave's infamous "my face doesn't fit" remarks has an Irish player come out with anything about Irish selection.
There's nothing that Connacht players can do but continue their rich vein of form showcasing their skills. There is definitely an argument that Ireland could use some of the handling skills of the Connacht players to offer some variety to their play. Having someone like Denis Buckley on the international stage to steal ball on the ground, hold his own at scrumtime and produce offloads and quick ball would be great off the bench behind Jack McGrath.
It's promising for the Westerners that Dillane is joining Nathan White, Henshaw, and Marmion in the Ireland squad - with Matt Healy and Quinn Roux also being recognised with training time too. It shows that it's possible, maybe it'll be McKeon's turn before long.
See Also: Leinster's Biggest Problems This Year Have Been Their Irish Internationals
See Also: Connacht's Influence On The Irish Team Is Growing With Two New Players In Training Squad
Picture credit: Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE
