This column has enjoyed far too much free time of late, given the current foot-and-mouth crisis and the lack of activity on rugby pitches. The development is far from a good thing. The mind starts to wander and all sorts of weird and wonderful notions invade what is normally a well-ordered thought process.

The ban on all rugby matches included schools games in the various provinces and this column was suddenly struck by the thought of what might happen if the current sporting impasse is not resolved until the middle of the summer. On average, 50 per cent to 66 per cent of players would have completed their leaving certificates and technically would have left school.

So if the competitions did eventually resume during the summer, would the past pupils still be eligible to compete in the cup, given that they were no longer attending the schools for which they were competing? Time to open a window and let in some air.