Andy Farrell has a devil of a job in sorting out the details

You may have experienced a wave of nausea a while back when it was reported that Ireland would be pitching our cap in the ring as part of a joint bid, with England, Scotland and Wales, to host the World Cup in 2031. The previous attempt at this gig left scars yet to heal, an exercise in public humiliation where Ireland’s model was based partly on being better than what New Zealand offered in 2011. Either World Rugby never pointed to the small print, or the IRFU never spotted it, but the message was simple: this is for big boys only.