Yet, despite being forewarned, it didn't quite prepare the spectator for the mind- numbing tedium that was Saturday's clash at Lansdowne Road.

It was mind- numbing tedium, a war of attrition between two packs who craved physical contact, some players even detouring to find a tackler.

What I actually did was marry the mind- numbing tedium of a second-rate reality show, with the plodding boredom of a sub-standard pub quiz.