The 2018 vintage had to cope with a few injuries and ultimately used 31 players.
He also juggled his starting XV a little, promoting some bloke called Gordon D’Arcy after the first three games on the bench and rotating in three other positions for the penultimate leg in Murrayfield. In an era of 22-man match-day squads, they only used 23 players, with Declan Kidney bringing in Mick O’Driscoll for Malcolm O’Kelly after the first game. Not to belittle the landmark 2009 Grand Slam breakthrough in any way, but that team of high achievers hardly had a hiccup outside of their own control by comparison.
If Ireland are to win just a fourth Grand Slam ever and a third in 15 years after just one in the previous 107, as Diego Maradona said after Argentina dragged themselves to the 1990 World Cup final, this will be one to tell the grandchildren about.
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