Philip Reid/TV View Okay, a little snapshot from north county Dublin, traditionally a wasteland for rugger types; and a sign of the power that television has on our newest generation.

My six-year-old has had a rugby ball glued to his hands for the last week; my nine-year-old nephew - soccer mad, thinks he will be the next Steven Reid, for that is his name, believe it or not - has pestered his dad to bring him to rugby nursery (so far without success), and another nephew, aged 11, different household, has actually got up off his backside and joined the pack in Skerries.

So, I ask you, what on earth is happening? Answer: the Rugby World Cup has impacted, like it or not . . . but the real question is this. Is it like the nuisance of a cold that hangs around for a few days before normality (round footballs, not the oval kind) returns, or it is a more serious prognosis that will have a longer-lasting effect?

Whatever, the glitz and glamour that invaded our living-rooms on Saturday morning from Sydney - even without Ireland playing - is a marketing coup that the IRFU couldn't pay for; but you'd wonder if, like a sneaky punch in the scrum, there will be any effective follow-through.

You may moan about how long the World Cup went on for, and about the meaningless pool matches that were like a pitbull terrier taking on a poodle, but, hats off to the Aussies, the final was an occasion worthy of the world stage. The pre-match preamble was tasteful and not at all overbearing and the tension of the match befitted a World Cup final.

Normally, for rugby, I'm an RTÉ man. Just love Hookie and Popey and Tommo getting to grips with the nuances of the game. This time round, though, the preferred choice just had to be ITV. Surely there'd be plenty of English arrogance and superior airs to digest.

Surprise, surprise . . . the entire package was perfectly balanced. The panel consisted of Will Carling, former English captain; Michael Lynagh, former Aussie superstar; and South Africa's former World Cup winning captain, Francois Pienaar, with our old friend Jim Rosenthal, casually dressed, doing a fine job as prompter and question master. In many ways, this was ITV's finest sporting hour, or two or three.

The pre-match build-up was neat and concise, with sound bites from all the major players - from both camps - including an agonised one-liner from England's scrumhalf Matt Dawson: "I can't imagine myself looking back on the day and being satisfied with anything other than a win, " he remarked succinctly, and you believed every word from his lips.

In contrast, England coach Clive Woodward, prompted it would be a "game that would change lives", didn't agree with that assertion. And, this time, you didn't believe a word he said. All you had to do was look deeper into his eyes and you knew it would be a life-changing game, in his eyes.

As the commentary team reminded us, prior to England's previous (Test) win over the Aussies, Woodward's parting words to his players leaving the dressing-room had been to "be confident, be relentless, be ruthless . . let's get out and win". Which, you surmise, is the real Woodward.

For those members of the panel, there was no doubt this was the most important game these players would ever face. Lynagh, of course, went for an Australian win, Pienaar went for an English win, and Carling, of course, went for an English win. "They haven't lost to a side from the Southern Hemisphere since June 2000 . . . this side have come here to win, they're not content to be in the final. They want to win."

The most surprising aspect of ITV's build-up was the lack of jingoism. It was fair and accurate and evenly balanced, and this also applied to the commentary team of John Taylor and Steve Smith, who reported on the match with utter fairness and almost impartiality, which says a lot for their professionalism.

And, when it mattered most, just like the English rugby team, the duo were spot on. As the game entered its dying moments, and England won a lineout deep in Aussie territory, Smith observed, ". . . you've got to win your own lineout, get it to (Jonny) Wilkinson, get within drop-goal position . . . and let the maestro have a shot."

Which of course is exactly what happened, and only served to remind us of the opening scenes three hours earlier in ITV's introduction to the final which featured a stirring narrative about heroes, about "he who can call today his own . . . (can say) I have had my hour". From start to finish, a first-class package from the team at ITV.