Planet Rugby: From There to Here - Irish rugby in the professional era, written by Brendan Fanning and published by Gill & Macmillan, arrives in bookshops this week.
This is essential reading for any Irish rugby nut, or aspiring one, as the reporter revisits several issues that plagued the IRFU's lethargic transition from the amateur to professional era.
Fanning charts the move from what seemed an eternal winter, when beatings by the bigger nations were the norm, right up to the current good times.
The ill-fated Brian Ashton-Pa Whelan relationship is afforded a whole chapter ("Divorce") and becomes particularly relevant this week as the Lancastrian comes to Croke Park as English coach.
Ashton oversaw the disastrous 1997 development tour of New Zealand (another chapter, "Trauma") where the players' opinion of the coach is perhaps best reflected by an anagram they produced of his surname: "Shaton". The nickname was not spoken to his face.
The eyewitness account of the 1999 Lens nightmare is also a particularly depressing tale to reflect upon.
It gets better, but we already know that. All round, a good read.
Out of the frying pan
After seven years and 156 appearances, Barry Everitt will leave London Irish at the end of the season to take up a three year deal with Northampton.
The 30-year-old Tipperary native, who has played for Leinster, Munster and Ireland A, lost the number 10 jersey to Shane Geraghty this season and spurned a one-year contract extension for a deal that will probably take him to retirement.
The London Irish preference for the 20-year-old Geraghty is understandable but one imagines Everitt is equally aware of the task that awaits: trying to dislodge Carlos Spencer, presuming the All Black out half extends his current deal with the Saints.
David Quinlan and Seamus Mallon are the other Irish exiles currently plying their trade at Northampton.
Despite being consistently overlooked by the international management, a fate also experienced by current club-mate Bob Casey, Everitt produced a prolific return in a seven-year career with Irish.
Leinster on lookout
This is the time of year when the merry-go-round for next season really begins to spin. Just look at Leinster, who are clearly interested in improving their frontrow options.
Argentinian props Rodrigo Roncero (of Stade Français) and 23-year-old Juan Gomez were both in Dublin recently but the former was just visiting friend Felipe Contepomi, while the latter underwent a 10-day training spell last month.
Connacht's Stephen Knoop, who becomes Irish qualified in July, is another name on the shopping list as the pillaging of the western province looks set to continue.
Loosehead Ray Hogan, a brother of Leinster lock Trevor, turned down a move to Dublin last week to follow Peter Bracken, another former Connacht player, to Bristol where former Leinster hooker David Blaney recently signed a two-year contract extension.
Munster are also working behind the scenes to extend the contracts of Mick O'Driscoll and Frankie Sheahan despite neither player being guaranteed a starting berth.
Ulster signed up Stephen Ferris on a two-year extension as they continue to lock up their younger stars for the foreseeable future.
Quick footwork
Referee Steve Walsh has been on the receiving end of a few pot shots recently after voicing his opinion at inappropriate times, although Eddie O'Sullivan let him off the hook for his performance in Croke Park.
Maybe O'Sullivan felt sorry for him (unlikely, I know) but the Kiwi has been somewhat unlucky on his Six Nations excursions.
The night before the historic first rugby match in Croke Park, Walsh was overheard lamenting the loss of his kit bag while having a drink in Brannigans bar on Cathedral Street.
Gerry Smith, the proprietor of Sportsmiths, off O'Connell Street, was on hand and told him to show up the following morning. At 11am Smith arrived to open up and there was Walsh patiently waiting to purchase a 200 pair of boots and few other essentials.
Students' gain
Michael Cheika was down in Newbridge College the week before last for the Leinster A v Munster A friendly and he noted former Clongowes Wood College centre Fergus McFadden as the standout performer.
That try-scoring performance earned McFadden a place on the Leinster bench for Friday's 13-6 defeat of Edinburgh but no game time followed.
That was to UCD's benefit as McFadden produced another quality performance on Saturday in the students' victory over Galwegians, kicking four penalties and two conversions.
A Leinster debut cannot be far off but dislodging a fellow Clongownian, currently in possession of the Leinster number 12 jersey, may take a little while longer.
Shaky start
The Irish under-19s' season got off to a miserable start on Friday night when they coughed up a 9-0 half-time lead, compliments of three Eoin O'Malley penalties, before Wales ran out deserving 31-9 victors at Stradey Park.
Ireland host the under-19 World Cup in Belfast from April 4th to 21st, by which stage, coach Charlie McAleese will see his options increase significantly as the Leinster Schools Cup concludes on March 18th. McAleese already has access to Ulster and Munster schoolboys.
St Michael's centre Conor Cleary and Clongowes fullback David Kearney are immediate candidates to come in.
Incidentally, the team on Friday night was captained by Blackrock's Paul Ryan, who led his former school to the Senior Cup last year. Scrumhalf David Moore, winger Niall Morris and lock Brian Cawley were also on that team.
