Full marks therefore to former principal Dr Larry Jordan for having the initiative and bravery to resurrect hurling in Christians, along with remaining as competitive as ever on the rugby front. After all, the school did contest a Harry Cup final all of 101 years ago.

As if to prove that rugby and GAA can co-exist and benefit from each other, the Harty Cup had barely left Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday afternoon before New Zealand try-scoring legend Doug Howlett was spotted manning the sideline for the Cork hurlers, taking his instructions from the great Dr Con.

Standing alongside Howlett was former Munster out-half Johnny Holland — nutritionist to the Cork hurling and football sides — who had just scaled the hedge from the bordering Temple Hill where, as a burgeoning assistant coach with Cork Constitution, he had overseen a great win for his club over high-flying Leinster kingpins Clontarf in a quality All-Ireland league clash.

How times have changed. You wonder what some past stalwarts of the Cork County Board would make of it all.

Perhaps all these strange sightings was due to the down week in Six Nations action. If so, then normal service resumes this weekend. The biennial trip to Rome is always one to savour even if it is business as usual for the players. That said, even they get the facility to enjoy their ancient and historic surroundings if looking for a distraction.

I remember bumping into Mike Ross in the Pantheon, 24 hours before the Cork man made his international debut against Italy in 2011. Taking in the wonders of the former Roman temple didn’t do him any harm as he enjoyed a strong scrummaging performance against experienced Italian loose head Salvatore Perugini.

It was about the only positive on the day as Ireland stuttered to a 11-13 win, courtesy of a 78th-minute drop goal from Ronan O’Gara after replacing Johnny Sexton with 10 minutes to go, that saved Irish blushes on our last ever appearance at the Stadio Flaminio. A few minutes earlier, Mirco Bergamasco missed a conversion that would have extended Italy’s lead to four points, thus necessitating a last-gasp try for Ireland to rescue a result.

When Ireland returned to Rome two years later for a first ever appearance at the home of Serie A giants Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, things got worse, when the Italians registered their first and, to date, only Six Nations victory over Ireland, winning by 22-15.

Ireland were short a number of front liners that day and with a further catalogue of injuries unfolding — Peter O’Mahony ended up playing much of the game on the left wing — Ireland paid a heavy price. In the six years since that shock reversal, Ireland and Italy have gone their separate ways.

Ireland has won the championship three times since while Italy have been the Wooden Spoon recipients every season since, bar 2015, when they beat Scotland in Murrayfield, consigning the Scots to that fate.

Italy have lost 19 championship games on the trot since that historic win in Edinburgh and, despite improvements being made at Benetton and Zebre, are struggling to stay afloat at this level. Regardless of the injuries Ireland have coming into this game, it’s impossible to see anything other than an Irish victory.

The fact that a number of Irish players like Andrew Conway, Robbie Henshaw, Tadhg Beirne, and Iain Henderson — after successfully challenging his citing — are again fit and available is just about the last thing Conor O’Shea needed to hear.

It’s been a difficult campaign for Ireland to date with tries and bonus points hard to come by. When you’re looking to revive your fortunes on that front, Rome is just about the perfect place for Joe Schmidt to ratchet up Ireland’s attack and register some confidence-boosting tries.

In the five Six Nations games since that shock defeat in 2013, Ireland have scored 249 points and 31 tries against Italy — an average of 50 points and six tries per match.

Last time out against Scotland, Ireland achieved the primary goal of getting back to winning ways after the stinging defeat to a vastly improved England. The players looked more drained and relieved than ecstatic at the end at Murrayfield, and you got the impression they needed the break to recharge the batteries.

After a weekend off, everyone is raring to go. For whatever reason in the two games to date, Ireland have lacked the fluency, understanding, and cohesion that has been part and parcel of the side for so long now. With bigger tests against France and Wales to come over a demanding six-day window, Ireland will look to this fixture to fine-tune their attack and rediscover their ruthless scoring edge once in the opposition 22.

The game of the weekend, one that will have major implications for Ireland not only in the context of the championship but also for the World Cup, takes place in Cardiff. To have any chance of retaining their title, Ireland need Wales to beat England.

The stakes for England are huge. If they beat Wales, then not only is a Grand Slam on the cards but it will put them in a brilliant place heading into the World Cup. Given their

annus horribilis

last season when they finished fifth in the Six Nations and lost six of 12 tests played, England were badly in need of a competitive tournament.

A big factor for Eddie Jones travelling to Dublin was the ability to select his first choice pack, with the exception of the injured Sam Underhill at open side. In any event, his replacement Tom Curry had a very decent outing. Since then two of Jones’ best performers in Mako Vunipola and Maro Itoje have picked up injuries that rule them out of the trip to the Principality Stadium.

I’m convinced that the travails faced by Ireland in the championship to date will serve the cause better in relation to preparations for the World Cup. Having areas of vulnerability highlighted at this stage and the consequences of having to adjust our approach when struggling to control the key battle for the gain line can only benefit Ireland in the future. England may well have done us a favour.

There is a possibility that Ireland could meet England at either the semi-final or final stage of the World Cup and the lessons from what happened in Dublin will only become apparent then as Schmidt knows exactly how England will go about stopping his side. While the teams are set to meet again in a World Cup warm-up in Twickenham next August, both will be holding a lot in reserve in that contest.

With only three tests left before the shadowboxing commences in those World Cup warm-up auditions in six months, Italy look set to run into an Irish storm as the players look to vent the frustrations of the last two games on a vulnerable Azzurri side shorn their inspirational leader Sergio Parisse.