Eddie Jones theorised that a leprechaun had perhaps tackled Jamie Heaslip during Ireland's warm-up for Saturday evening's final game of the Six Nations against England.
The number eight, according to the Irish camp, was injured as Ireland ran through their final preparations for the game. Though he suggested that Ireland had been fortuitous, the smile on Jones' faced betrayed that he believed the replacement of Heaslip for Peter O'Mahony was more by design that luck.
The change was announced just moments before kick-off. Jones said that it only slightly altered England's lineout game plan. It likely did far more than that for Ireland's fortunes. O'Mahony was immense for Ireland, being especially key in a lineout that had lacked an option of the Munster man's quality in the previous games.
In his post-match press conference, Joe Schmidt called it a 'flawed theory' that there had been any subterfuge on the part of the Irish camp. He viewed it as a 'slight' on the Irish team - ' it's not something we do'.
That line from Schmidt was not being bought by Paul Kimmage on Today FM's The Last Word with Matt Cooper.
This is the man who never gets injured. He gets injured warming up before an England game.
The Sunday Independent journalist then went on to read out a timeline of events from last week which he felt supported the theory that the late replacement had actually been a ploy by Ireland to disrupt England's game plan.
I'm looking at the timeline because this is what is really interesting about it. On Monday, O'Mahony is put forward as the senior player for Ireland's first press briefing of the week. On Thursday, Joe Schmidt names the flanker on the bench, retaining his back row of Stander, O'Brien and Heaslip.
On Saturday, O'Mahony features on the cover of the match programme and is the lead interview inside. And then the injury itself. Who told him he rolled his ankle? Because when you roll your ankle, you roll your ankle - you definitely don't have a sore back. Where did that story come from?
I'm not buying it. I think the truth will come out eventually. I'm not buying it anyway.
Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE
