Just how big are these Welsh backs?

Wales have a big back line. A very big back line. Ireland have a small back line. Very small by comparison. But just how much bigger are the Welsh players than their Irish counterparts? Take a look at these examples:

Starting at fullback, Rob Kearney is the only Irish back who's heavier than his Welsh opposite number. At 95kg he's got the weight of a decent bag of potatoes over Leigh Halfpenny (85kg).

Kelly Brown is dropped, but he's still a Smiley Guy

The only real surprise in the team selections so far in week 2 is that Scotland's captain Kelly Brown has been dropped from the 23 to play England. Scotland have opted to give the more specialist openside Chris Fusaro his first cap instead, and there isn't even a place for Brown on the bench. Despite Scotland's weak forward display against Ireland on Sunday, Brown is the only member of the pack who hasn't been selected for the Calcutta Cup this weekend. It's a tough call against a good player and one of the genuine nice guys of European rugby. But on a more positive note for Kelly, I finally worked out who he reminds me of! Guy Smiley, the game show host from Sesame Street! A post-rugby career in the media beckons...

Leek & Potato Soup

Recipe:

Take 23 large leeks and 23 medium sized potatoes.
Mix together for 6 weeks, discard one potato, then let stew for 8 months.
Add a heaped teaspoon of spice and sweat the leeks in a large cauldron for 80 minutes.

SIT DOWN!

Since Landsdowne Road was rebuilt as the Aviva Stadium a few years ago there's been a lot of criticism of the lack of atmosphere at the ground. Part of the problem stems from the high ticket prices for international matches, which mean that a lot of the seats are bought by big companies to give to fatcats from other big companies. Those people don't do a lot of cheering. The match against New Zealand in November was an exception, but most of the time there seems to be a pretty big divide between the pitch and the stands. 10 years ago you'd be sick of the sound of The Fields Of Athenry midway through the first half. Now it's rarely heard before the last few minutes of a game. Alan Quinlan has been a particularly strong critic of what Roy Keane would call "the prawn sandwich brigade". I'm with Quinny in his campaign to get the crowd into their seats before kick off. The idea that an Ireland team would run out onto the pitch in front of a half-filled stadium while the so-called fans are queuing up for over-priced, watered-down beer is a disgrace. It's a disgrace Joe.

First Communion

The RTÉ coverage of Ireland vs Scotland on Sunday gave the viewers the visual treat of Shane Horgan and Ronan O'Gara standing not quite shoulder to shoulder at the edge of the Aviva Stadium pitch. The ever-youthful O'Gara looked like a boy dressed up to make his First Communion, with Horgan resembling a reluctant older cousin who's been instructed to keep an eye on him during the family get-together in the pub afterwards.

Poor Paul

After a slow start this afternoon Ireland eventually got the better of Scotland, winning 28-6. In a not-very-exciting match, one of the highlights was Dave Kearney's athletic touchdown in the final play of the game. Although it would have impressed a gymnastics judging panel, unfortunately the ball had bounced in touch before he caught it, so the try wasn't given.

During the match I couldn't help thinking about Paul O'Connell – who was pulled from the team because of a chest infection that developed overnight – watching from his sick bed (that's a thermometer in his mouth, I'm not suggesting that he was indulging in herbal remedies).

Which French team?

France are a bookmakers nightmare. Pre-tournament favourites in 2013, they finished bottom of the table after a disastrous campaign. The question asked by journalists and commentators before every France match (every single one...) is "Which French team will turn up?". Hopefully for France it will be their rugby team.