Sorry Brian, count me out of your ‘party of a lifetime’

I HAD a little chuckle to myself when I heard Brian O’Driscoll promising ‘the party of a lifetime’ if Ireland wins the bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Correct me if I am wrong, but ‘party’ is hardly the first word that springs to mind whenever Boring Bri’s name is mentioned. Still, who am I to argue? I’m sure he will be as good as his word. Even if it pains me to say it, though, I am

pretty ambivalent about the whole business. If the Irish bid is successful, it will of course mean a hugely welcome influx of tourism revenue.

But the flip side of the coin is that it will also mean hordes of rugby supporters roaming the streets for weeks on end.

Look, some of my closest friends are keen rugger enthusiasts. The plain truth of the matter, however, is that it is seldom a pretty sight when they are gathered en masse, regardless of whether they are Irish or from elsewhere.

Nor, for the record, am I any great fan of the Association Football or GAA entourages.

But years of living in close proximity to The Stadium Formerly Known As Lansdowne Road has particularly put me off the rugby crowd.

To look on the bright side, at least I got a belated laugh out of Leo Varadkar’s remark following Ireland’s 30-minute presentation to the World Rugby Council last week.

We face competition from rival bidders France and South Africa, but the Taoiseach was the only serving head of government to attend. ‘I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,’ he said afterwards.

Following the comical events of the weekend, it is becoming increasingly clear that Mr Varadkar is afraid of missing out on anything.