Ireland 32 v Scotland 14

Fourth successive 6 Nations defeat for me but at least I missed the aberration at the Valley. I am not travelling for the Wooden Spoon decider in Rome next week, so my rugby is over for this year. What a disappointment. Scotland promised so much and I believe they are ten per cent better than they have been for a few years. Trouble is, everyone else has moved up a notch too. We are too short of genuine class and real character to turn games. I was highly impressed with Ritchie Gray's performance yesterday. He was two classes above everyone else in a blue shirt and capped his performance with a fine three-quarters try. He is the shining light for next year. Perhaps he can set a new standard that others will aspire to join. That might just be enough to turn good performances into winning displays.
Dublin was great again and we enjoyed a good four hours in Doheny and Nesbitt's before the game. I was recommended this pub by Dermott from the Rose of Denmark and it was a ten out of ten. Fantastic genuine old Irish bar which puts most of our pubs to shame in terms of beer, food and customer service. Also a huge reminder of why so many "Irish" theme bars are so crap and yet your Brit abroad gravitates to them?

I am enjoying a glass of Zinfandel as I write and watching an encouraging England performance against the French. I really hope Stuart Lancaster gets the job - his influence of the squad has been blindingly obvious.

Looking ahead to next Saturday, Scunthorpe looks a potential banana skin, but I am backing our boys to get their act together. Continuing our sequence this season was always expecting too much, especially given the way we have played, so we have to face the music and knuckle down and get a result. I am sure we will do it.