Irish Eyes Smile No More...

The Prince of Centres exits stage left as the great RWC drama works its way towards a thrilling climactic scene. The Irish, whose Pool victory over the much vaunted Australians did so much to blow this tournament wide open, were left down and out by the ever improving Welsh in the first quarter final.
Later, the robotic English were too slow to respond to the energised French, and went down by 19 points to 12.
Now, the burning question for all Northern Hemisphere fans - which French team will turn up next weekend ? The fractious, moody, disinterested types who lost to Tonga, and who treat their coach like some sort of sporting leper ? Or the slick, ball hungry characters who out foxed and out fought the Saxon hoards ?
Supplementary question - will it matter ? Is this Welsh team going to beat them anyway ??? They are playing a brand of rugby beyond anything we've seen before. The fitness centre in Poland may prove to have been Gatland's best selection of all, because they have looked fitter than any side they've played so far, and their defensive wall broke those Irish hearts, and sent Prince Brian home empty handed - again.