A four-strong Irish delegation were today winging their way to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen. The World Cup reception will be attended by representatives from all 20 participating countries, with the Irish contingent featuring team manager Mick Kearney, Jamie Heaslip, Eoin Reddan and Darren Cave.

They apparently flew to London by helicopter on a busy day of comings and goings in the Irish squad, which relocated from a Cardiff city hotel on Sunday to return for one night in the Celtic Manor in Newport, before then returning to another Cardiff city hotel later on Monday, where they will remain for the rest of the week.

Before leaving the Celtic Manor, Rory McIlroy dropped in to meet the Irish players and give some a golfing master class. The Kearneys, Johnny Sexton, Sean Cronin and Luke Fitzgerald were among those to take part.

And judging by pictures on the IRFU’s twitter feed, one particularly wayward drive by Fitzgerald was so ungainly it had McIlroy et al doubled up in knots of laughter.