The Welsh are possessed of an enviable ability to both forget their failures and never shut up about their successes. Mike Phillips reminded us of this talent during an exchange with Paul O'Connell on Twitter this afternoon.
Mike Phillips has history with the Irish twitter community.
Niall Horan told his terrifying army of teenage girl followers that Phillips looked like a 'right arrogant idiot' who was 'throwing his toys out of the pram' after witnessing the mini scuffle in which Phillips was prominently involved at the end of the 2014 Six Nations clash.
Phillips responded by 'inviting' Horan down to the Welsh training ground. He encouraged Horan to 'bring the rest of the Beatles with you' while he was at it.
Earlier this year, when Horan excitedly tweeted about an upcoming performance at the Millennium Stadium, Phillips said he hoped Horan would perform better than Sexton and the boys did a few months back.
Let's hope you perform better in the Millennium tonight than Sexton and his boys did few months back ! @NiallOfficial #thebeatles ?
— mike phillips (@mikephillips009) June 5, 2015
Horan responded by saying pointing out that Phillips watched most of that game on the bench and recalling that Ireland had sealed the Grand Slam at the same venue.
His battles with the Irish nation are not confined to the twittersphere. In 2011, he scored the most ludicrously illegal try in the history of the Six Nations to give Wales a rare victory over Ireland in Cardiff.
Fast forward to today. Phillips plugged a BBC documentary entitled 'The Real Mike Phillips'. Paul O'Connell felt that the makers wouldn't get to the heart of the real Mike Phillips unless they showed him enjoying a night on the town. Here's how the exchange unfolded.
@Paul_OConnell ha you had to go there!! yes they did actually, the night we beat you in the RWC quarters ! ? ? ? — mike phillips (@mikephillips009) December 3, 2015
He touched a nerve there.
