THE

French rugby farrago is a reminder of the delicate steps that every sporting team and organisation must take in making their return.

There is a creeping sense of impatience in some corners of Irish sport. It is barely discernible, but it is there.

Of course sports want to return, and the benefits of such a return are well ventilated and understood. But the fragility of the public health outlook in this country – not helped by the wobbly vaccine roll-out programme and repeated communication failures – cannot be disregarded, either.