Players no longer see a start on the bench as being not quite good enough. Sure, the hope is to be in the starting team of a test match, but the changing landscape in recent years has allowed them to recognise that being a replacement is a specialist role. A different job spec from beginning a match, bench talent involves bringing energy and lifting those on the team who are already on the pitch. It’s a role Nick Timoney was well familiar with, his ninth cap for Ireland against Wales last week just his first Six Nations start in an Irish shirt. Josh van der Flier is a different matter. His Six Nations profile this season is different from previous campaigns, a change he has had to adjust...
