Ireland's top players are showing the effects of too many games according to the Irish Independent's Jim Glennon.
"Is it just me or have our leading players looked absolutely knackered recently? Watching last week's final round of Magners League games, admittedly following as they did immediately upon our European disappointments of the previous weekend, it was difficult at times to avoid the impression that at least some of our top players are running on empty.
"When one sits down and thinks about it, the last 12 months for our top internationals have been hectic. The Grand Slam was followed by extended Heineken Cup involvement for two of the provinces; then came the Lions trip to South Africa in the summer, leading into an attritional season in which, coincidentally or otherwise, injuries have seemed far more prevalent than in previous years.
"With the end of the club season now in sight, there is the trip to the southern hemisphere for winter matches against New Zealand, Australia, and the New Zealand Maori. Looking further forward, a marathon World Cup season, in which our relatively shallow playing resources will be stretched to the maximum, begins in early August with the inaugural game in the new Aviva Stadium."
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