All the latest news from the Six Nations championship

Live streaming dries up

YOU DON’T have to be in the Killiney Castle Hotel anymore to watch the Irish team announcement before Six Nations Championship matches.

Since the autumn series against Australia, Fiji and South Africa, the IRFU have been streaming Declan Kidney’s selection live on irishrugby.ie/tvlive. The IRFU tried the system in a dry run for the game against Australia in November – which was the first match of the three – and have been doing it since.

Due to various agreements with different media outlets, about five minutes of the media session is streamed live on the web, and that includes the team announcement and some footage of Kidney answering questions on his selection.

The IRFU have said traffic is very good for the sessions.

Alas, due to a technical hitch yesterday the Wi-Fi was found wanting and there was no live act. The tech heads are working on it.

MacNeill recalls more chivalrous times

HUGO MacNEILL presided at last Friday’s well-attended Ireland Funds Rugby Lunch to honour 1948 Grand Slam heroes Jackie Kyle and Jim McCarthy.

Held at the RHA Gallery, MacNeill paid tribute to the men and acknowledged Kyle’s set-up for McCarthy’s try in that campaign.

MacNeill recalled the story of Cliff Morgan, who won his first cap against Ireland and saw Kyle down the far end of the pitch as they ran out and was nervous about how he would get on.

Morgan was surprised when “the god that was Kyle came down to shake my hand and wish me luck.”

Do they still do that?

MacNeill himself will be guest of honour at the Cry (Cardiac Risk in the Young) lunch, on Friday, March 12th, the eve of the next home match against Wales.

Details are available on www.cry.ie.

Hard to believe it’s 25 years since the Rock, UCD, TCD, Oxford, Lions and Irish star touched down in Cardiff as the 1985 side won 21-9 against Wales.

That year Ireland drew with France 15-15, what price the draw on Saturday?

Quotes of the day

"You don't play the opposition. You play your own game."– Brian O'Driscoll explaining that facing Mathieu Bastareaud in the centre on Saturday is no more daunting than squaring up to any other player – even if the Frenchman is four stone heavier than the Irish captain.

"We have to play smart. If we play the same way all the time teams will cut us down."– Declan Kidney speaking about the Irish players facing the threat of the mercurial French, whose unpredictability is one of their strengths.