A RUGBY MISCELLANY COMPILED BY JOHN O'SULLIVAN:

Wales defence coach Edwards and team sports scientist Connolly suspended

WASPS COACH and Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards (right) was suspended and fined by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) following a late-night incident at the team’s headquarters, the Vale of Glamorgan hotel, that reports suggest involved Wales team sports scientist Fergus Connolly, a native of Monaghan. The incident is believed to have occurred after the Six Nations victory over Ireland, and Edwards and Connolly – he was suspended for a week by the WRU – did not travel to France for Saturday’s final Six Nations Championship match.

The dispute is said to have concerned the songs that were chosen by the Welsh to celebrate a victory that was secured due to a highly controversial try by Mike Phillips.

A Wales team spokesman said: “It’s an internal matter that has been dealt with. Neither Shaun or Fergus have travelled with the team.”

Connolly has worked with Bernard Dunne, the Derry footballers, Nicolas Anelka and Gavin Henson before being appointed to his current post.

*A common perception is that an international rugby weekend in Dublin offers a lucrative financial return for the Irish economy, an assertion substantiated by an IRFU-commissioned survey by the UCD marketing development programme of the Smurfit business school. The 2007 fixture between Ireland and England at Croke Park showed an economic impact of €89 million for the greater Dublin area. The report said:

1) The average weekend spend for the English match attendee was €1,039.07.

2) The average weekend spend for an Irish match attendee was €527.27.

3) External travel accounted for €12,418,260.

4) Internal travel was €5,871,420.

5) Accommodation accounted for €12,526,820.

6) The spend on food and drink amounted to a whopping €36,737,020 and shopping accounted for €4,690,800.

Not in the running

THE DECISION to change the format in deciding on the Six Nations Championship Player of the Tournament – only those who win man of the match awards make the shortlist – seems a deeply flawed system, emphasised by the absence from consideration of a player like Italian captain and number eight Sergio Parisse (above).

He has been outstanding and it’s a crying shame he’s not in a position to win the overall honour.

D'Arcy and O'Driscoll equal record for midfield pairings

GORDON D’ARCY and Brian O’Driscoll equalled the record of 45 appearances as a midfield partnership, set by English pair Will Carling and Jeremy Guscott, on Saturday evening. They have a remarkable record in the Six Nations Championship when forming Ireland’s midfield axis, finishing on the winning side on 22 occasions from 27 matches, and on Saturday continued a proud record of never having lost on the five occasions they paired up in the centre against England.

They are also linked by one more statistic, in that they became the fourth and fifth players in the history of Irish rugby to represent their country spanning three different decades – a feat that went unheralded last season – and following in the chronological footsteps of Sid Millar, Tony O’Reilly and Kevin Flynn.

The RBS official data statistics reveal a number of interesting asides to the Six Nations.

Among the findings were: Ireland were the only team not to lose a scrum during the tournament.

Ireland, along with England, had the highest tackle completion rate of 96 per cent.

Ireland topped the standings for ball won in the opposition 22, managing that feat on 144 occasions, 23 times more than the next best, England.

Only England (19) missed fewer tackles than Ireland (20).

Silver lining for Irish in loss to Grand Slam winners

IRELAND’S GUTSY performance in defeat to Grand Slam winners England in Friday night’s Under-20 international in Dubarry Park might have a silver lining for Irish coach Mike Ruddock when it comes to the IRB Junior World Cup in Italy this summer. That Ruddock has effectively had one hand tied behind his back in terms of selection because of the IRFU’s policy of giving primacy to the provinces for Magners League duty when there is a dual call on young players meant the Under-20s have rarely been able to field a full choice team. Against England, they were without half a team as Paddy Jackson (outhalf), Luke Marshall (centre) and Craig Gilroy (wing) were on Ulster duty, Brendan Macken (centre) and Andrew Conway (wing) were injured, as was Connacht’s promising number eight Eoin McKeon.

However, players like Tiernan O’Halloran and JJ Hanrahan (above) (superb alongside Alex Kelly in midfield in Athlone) took the opportunity to press their claims during the championship.

The Ireland pack, though physically outgunned, showed tremendous tenacity and application against the best English team for some time at that level.