PlanetRugby: This column abhors player ratings and is hugely grateful we don't attempt them in these pages. It's almost impossible to give a balanced appraisal of a player's performances without the benefit of action replays and time to study the video. When viewed in that context, it seems ridiculous some players are upset by one-line summations of their efforts.
Those with the most-eye catching cameos get the bouquets while those caught out on one or two conspicuous occasions have to suffer brickbats.
Given that a trawl among pubgoers would produce wildly divergent opinions on any given player, we looked at the official player ratings of three Sunday papers. As we expected, consensus - even among the experts - is hard to come by.
Sunday Ratings Tribune Times Independent
Geordan Murphy 2 3 4
Shane Horgan 8 8 8
Brian O'Driscoll 4.5 7 5
Gordon D'Arcy 4 8 6
Tommy Bowe 0 4 3
Ronan O'Gara 2 7 3
Peter Stringer 8.5 7 4
Reggie Corrigan 3 5 5
Jerry Flannery 6 7 6
John Hayes 3 7 3
Paul O'Connell 8.5 8 7
Malcolm O'Kelly 4 5 4
Simon Easterby 2.5 4 5
David Wallace 8 7 6
Denis Leamy 7.5 9 4
As a colleague is wont to say, 'Go figure.'
Andrew happy as Larry
Andrew Trimble marked his first appearance in the Six Nations Championship with a try, continuing an exceptional try-scoring record since his debut against Australia last November. He scored two against Romania in winning his second cap.
Saturday's effort was fairly straightforward if you ignore the good line he ran off Brian O'Driscoll's superb break but he won't care - he was simply glad to be playing.
"I was dying to get on, champing at the bit. My first priority was to get involved. I found the pace so high but when I finally got the ball in my hands I loved every minute of it."
So what did he make of it all prior to his arrival on the pitch?
"I knew what we'd been trying to do at training and we set out to play high-risk rugby and ultimately with that type of game you can make errors. Unfortunately every mistake France turned into tries. In the second half some of the passes stuck and a few things started to go our way. We showed what we were capable of."
The 21-year-old Ballymena man admitted he'd love a run in the centre but added with a smile there was "a bit of a queue there" and said, "As long as I have a green jersey on and am running about the pitch I'm as happy as Larry."
Wales is likely to provide his next opportunity.
England take dim view
England won't leave any stone unturned in their quest to win the Six Nations. The latest ruse is that all squad members - even those with 20/20 vision - have been given contact lenses that filter out glare.
Though the lenses haven't met with universal approval there have been some takers. They were worn for the first time in England's win over Wales and the claim is players can distinguish shirt colours a little bit better and find it easier to track the ball.
It's a bit like cricketers wearing shades - though those will hardly catch on in rugby circles.
New trophy for Super 14
The Southern Hemisphere's Super 14 tournament has been given a new trophy to supersede the old Super 12 piece. One website says, "Unlike the inaccurate, bloated dimensions of the 1996 Tri-Nations trophy, which nearly resulted in a hernia for victorious captain Sean Fitzpatrick, this one has met with almost universal approval."
Created by Jens Hansen silversmiths, makers of the ring for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it features a globe with the new logo atop a twisting spire.
It was on display on Friday for the Blues v Hurricanes opener at Auckland's Eden Park.
