Panet Rugby compiled by John O'Sullivan

French honour for Smith

Ireland can't expect much largesse from the French over the next few weeks in the Six Nations Championship, certainly not when the two sides meet at Lansdowne Road on March 8th. It's doubtful whether the entente will be cordiale at all that day as the respective teams vie to earn the right be considered the crème de la menthe, as Del Boy was wont to say.

However, one Irishman who has made a lasting impression on France and French rugby is former Monkstown, Leinster, Wolfhounds and Irish trial combatant (for our younger reader there was a trial held at one stage to help the then five selectors weed out the chaff from the wheat in choosing the national side) Pat Smith.

Smith was a prodigious accumulator of points in his day before moving to French rugby and joining Biarritz in 1974. He stopped over in Tournon and didn't leave for 10 years. Epitomising the Irish custom of blending seemlessly with the local drinking culture, Smith embraced wine drinking with gusto and became involved in that industry with the famous Guigal family.

He later returned to Ireland but last Thursday his contribution to French winemaking was recognised by the French government who honoured him at a reception in the French embassy. He was awarded the Medal de Chevalier de L'Ordre du Merite Agricole.

Pat was also a top class cricketer and plays off a golf handicap of five. Salut.

Constitution an institution

A pre-match buffet in an executive suite, large screens suspended from above the press box, spacious and comfortable press seating ... the kind of stuff we're used to in the ultra-modern, ultra-friendly Lansdowne Road. Not! This is what the The Irish Times team of hacks enjoyed at Murrayfield at the weekend. Even if we were sent to the wrong collection point for our match tickets.

It caused a slight delay, no more, no less, and no complaints. Half an hour before the kick-off, a representative of the Scottish Union sought us out and personally conveyed his union's apologies for giving us "bum information". "It shouldn't have happened and we're sorry about that," he said. As an exercise in public relations it is one that will leave a lasting impression.

We were amused, however, by one of the entry in the match programme for the Scotland-Ireland under-21 encounter in Dundee on Saturday for Irish second-row Shane O'Connor, whose club was given as "Cork Institution". Well, how else could we regard the Temple Hill club?

G whiz

AN interesting little sighting outside 62 Lansdowne Road the week before last, not long after the IRFU climb down on the move to dissolve Connacht . A car transporter was seen dropping half a dozen, sparkling, brand new, 2002 Car of the Year, Ford Mondeos. As is custom, ironically, for the Union's fleet, they all had "G" registrations. See Connacht are useful occasionally.

Competition time again

This column express sincere gratitude for the number of people who took time to annoy the living daylights out of the kind and patient staff of the Leinster Branch office last week in response to our quiz question. The prize was a couple of stand tickets for Leinster's Heineken European Cup quarter-final against Biarritz at Lansdowne Road in April.

We asked for the name of the mascot associated with the Leinster Lions. At this point we'd like to respectfully suggest that some people read the question again and that we are well aware that Leinster are known at the Lions. There was a great response but it was amazing the number of people who plumped for Leo as the mascot's name.

The correct answer was Liam the Lion and the winner of the two stand tickets is Derek Gleeson from Lucan.

This week's competition, for which the prize is a family package, two adult and two children's tickets, to the Biarritz game is to answer the following question. Which player won his 100th cap for the province during the current European Cup campaign. Don't go ringing the Leinster Branch please. We're unpopular enough!

Grewcock half-baked

It was  all Six Nations rugby this week on the television, or so it seemed. This column was enjoying a few days off in the bosom of our family in recompense for having been mercilessly flogged (the norm) work-wise in January as we happened upon an afternoon showing of the Ready Steady Cook programme.

Imagine our surprise to see England rugby internationals Danny Grewcock and Kyran Bracken (not in the squad at present) struggling in aprons.

Grewcock was asked what people could expect in this season's Six Nations to which he responded, "It'll be very close. We're only looking at the French match. You can take nothing for granted."

We've no idea what else he said because we fell asleep. You just can't do much with some ingredients.

Good sport

Speaking of television and all things rugby it was good to see the Beeb come up with a rugby version of a Question of Sport, that is to say, rugby guests apart from the two captains Frankie Dettori and Ally McCoist. The quaint notion was they would have every one of the Six Nations represented. Along with Frankie (Italy) and Ally (Scotland)were Jonathan Davies (Wales), Jeremy Guscott (England), Thomas Castaignede (France) and our own Rob Henderson.

Davies was outstanding, McCoist excellent, while as for poor old Castaignede, well he knew his answers but the fact that he had to be told that his team had won at the end suggests something was lost in the translation.

Quotables

"Let's pour some sense on this. Let's listen to Bryan Redcalf" - Tom McGurk, RTÉ's rugby anchor. Did he mean Scottish scrumhalf Bryan Redpath, or perhaps he was referring to full back Glenn Metcalfe?

"Take it on the chin and learn from it" - Bryan Redpath on the lessons of yesterday's defeat at Murrayfield.

"Scotsmen wear kilts because sheep can hear zippers a mile away"

- Former Ireland international Neil Francis comes out with the best one liner of the Six Nations weekend in his newspaper column.