It was an eye opener that dashed my sense of importance within rugby and rightly so. I had let the hype get to my head and now was suffering the withdrawal symptoms. It had been great to be lauded but it was gut-wrenching to be written off.  On returning to play I resolved never to let that happen again, though to be honest, not always successfully. Sportsmen are selfish and have to be so.  The introspection is essential to improve. It is only natural, though, that they want people to say good things about them, but to accept the plaudits you leave yourself open to the brickbats.  Kipling sorted me out, as I learned to treat his two imposters the same. Contrary to what most sportsmen say in public, I always read the papers, but after my injury I went for an average opinion, akin to the scoring system in diving.  The hyperbole and the wholly negative were discarded and I was left with what was for the most part a fair reflection of my game.  My last determining factor was whether or not I rated the journalist or pundit, the implication being if I didn’t have respect for him I would dismiss his comments out of hand.  To counteract that I also had a few old friends never shy of telling it as it was, essential info to keep me on terra firma. I felt it gave me perspective from outside the bubble.  This has become the story of Ireland’s Six Nations. Brian O’Driscoll has bemoaned the fact that there is an air of negativity, generated by the media, hanging like a cloud over the team.  Opinions, reactions and agendas are strewn all over the place. With all the new media, Twitter and Facebook in particular, two portals that I am comfortably ignorant of, criticism is not confined to the broadsheets or the airwaves. Opinion is directed straight to your computer.  Unfortunately some of the players have responded to the taunts and have given some credence to these anonymous views and it is pretty tough and pointless to argue with someone virtually.  In many ways the kerfuffle highlights some of the real issues Ireland have. They are trying to change how they play but for all the things they are doing right their attention to detail has been poor.  They are scoring tries comfortably but they are butchering an equal number of chances. Their line defence is outstanding, but their ruck defence hearkens back to last year’s interpretation.  They want and need to change but it is a painful transition. They got out of jail against Italy, spurned a realistic win over France and hung on for dear life to beat Scotland.  Two wins and one loss is not a bad season, but it is the manner that is causing the tumult. Of course some of the reports are unfavourable.  The team have raised expectations over the last 10 years and they have basked in that glory. Supporters and the media alike have had a taste for the good stuff and do not like the dip in handling or the increase in the penalty count.  Of course they are grumbling. Very little of it is personal and the bit that is should be thrown in the trash.  More time needs to be diverted to what matters, improved performance and continued winning. Ireland have to learn that the game they need to play is one they can be confident with, because at the moment they are caught between the old and the new.  The answer? Tone down the expansive and make decisions on merit, not on how you would like to play. It’s not paranoia if they are out to get you, but most are not. Most just want you to play well and win.
I learned my lesson about opinions very early in my career. I was selected as   a callow-faced 20 year-old with a shock of black hair to sit on the Ireland   bench in November 1992 for the match against Australia.