Thrilling three-horse race to beat them all

TEN years after the most nerve-wracking climax to any Six Nations, precious few of the gladiators from way back then dared to remain centre-stage for this one. They had been there for the three-horse race to beat them all, on St Patrick's weekend 2015 when England almost picked the title out of Ireland's pocket at Twickenham an hour or two after Paul O'Connell & Co. had picked it out of Wales' pocket at Murrayfield.

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At the start of the week the survivors numbered six: three Irish, two Welsh, one English. Four days later, once the final auditions had been subjected to microscopic examination, the six were whittled down to one.

None of Ireland's starting trio from the historic Scotland match - Conor Murray, Robbie Henshaw, Peter O'Mahony - could reclaim their first-choice status against England yesterday. Murray, clinging on as reserve scrum-half if only because of Craig Casey's injury, made it to the bench as did Henshaw. O'Mahony, the patron saint of back row warriors, found himself in the unaccustomed role of surplus to requirements. A similar fate had befallen George Ford, the starting 10 against France a decade ago when England went within one converted try of spiriting the title from Ireland's grasp.

Taulupe Faletau had been there at the outset of the ultimate Super Saturday in Rome, a time when his once indestructible presence at the base of the Welsh scrum would have been taken almost as much for granted as victory over Italy. Paris on Friday night had been earmarked for his long overdue return to the Test arena.

Another injury ruined any hope of his reappearing in France for the first time since breaking an arm against Georgia at Nantes during the World Cup almost 18 months ago. And so a bandy-legged linebreaker who began his working life as an apprentice scaffolder finds himself the last man standing from ten years ago.