But it was the other change in the November internationals that was most surprising.

Ever since Eddie O'Sullivan coached him at under-21 level, Simon Easterby has been a favourite, a player, it appeared from the outside at least, that he was loath to drop, no matter how he performed. There appeared to be a close to unbreakable bond between player and mentor; Easterby knew exactly what his coach expected of him, O'Sullivan knew the player would put his body on the line in attempting to fulfill his role. The coach's admiration was best summed up by this offering a couple of years back, when he recalled an incident before an under-21 fixture. "He (Easterby) insisted on playing. I got the physio and the team manager to tell him and still he insisted on playing. We said he had to do a fitness test by tackling Rory Sherriff, who was 6ft 8in and the biggest guy on the team. We thought that might make him think twice but he was prepared to do that.

Eventually we just had to put the foot down."

That's why many were left agog when Neil Best was chosen to start the November fixtures against South Africa and Australia. It wasn't that the Ulster flanker didn't deserve the opportunity on the back of his summer performances in the southern hemisphere, games in which he truly excelled, but seasoned observers of the coach couldn't believe that he'd effectively dropped his favourite player.

Easterby had always been one of the first names on O'Sullivan's team sheet, and when both Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell lay injured in November 2005, he chose the Llanelli man to captain the side in their absence. Not only that. Of the coach's 25 Six Nation's games in charge of Ireland since 2002, Easterby has played in 20 and he only missed out on playing the five games of the 2003 campaign through injury. The coach did label the decision to select Best over Easterby his "toughest" call to make but in replacing one of his most trusted lieutenants with a raw, inexperienced if talented individual like Best, it provided yet more evidence that the Irish coach's philosophy had changed over the space of 12 months.

But here's the irony. The favourite son, the one O'Sullivan has been so loyal to down the years despite numerous calls by the critics for his removal, now deserves to start ahead of Best when Ireland take the field against Wales in Cardiff in two weeks' time.

At the moment, he's both captain and a crucial element of European rugby's most eye-catching team, the Llanelli Scarlets. The Welsh side have wowed everyone who's been lucky enough to see them this season, particularly in their quite unbelievable comeback victory away to Toulouse just before Christmas.

Easterby did miss that game because of a minor knee operation, but in the Scarlets' four other Heineken Cup pool victories this season, the flanker has played a vital role. In the past, Easterby's penchant for doing the unseen work around the pitch, particularly in the breakdown area, led many to wonder whether the work was unseen because he wasn't actually doing anything, but that's certainly not a charge that can be levelled against him this season.

In a team of sharp minds, quick hands and lightening pace, the now ubiquitous Irish flanker lends a sharp dose of pragmatism - the decision to take the contact every once in a while or take a shot at goal rather than a tap - that essentially makes it all work. That's not to say Easterby doesn't possess any of the other qualities listed above, bar the lightening pace of course, but it's his sensible approach that grounds everything the Scarlets do.

In an Irish context, his selection makes complete and utter sense. In many ways, and particularly now that it appears Munster too want to play rugby on the edge, Ireland represent the Llanelli of the international game and Easterby's abilities could well prove vital over the coming months. Certainly, he doesn't possess the ball-carrying ability of Best, or his naked aggression, but in a backrow that's likely to contain the abrasive Denis Leamy and ball carrier supreme, David Wallace, what the Ulster player brings to the table may not be missed all that much. As for Easterby, allied to everything we've mentioned before, his abilities at the back of the line-out have been vital in establishing the Irish operation as one of the world's best over the past four or five years and his absence over the past couple of games, despite Ireland's overall good form, has led to a certain dip in that particular area.

At lunchtime today, he'll lead Llanelli out against London Irish in a game that could see the Welsh side earn a rare six from six in the pool stages. Phil Davies' side are already through as pool winners but a victory against a Irish side already out of contention for qualification would ensure a home quarterfinal - possibly at Swansea's Liberty Stadium - come the end of March. From there, Llanelli could be difficult to stop, particularly if their captain continues in the same rich vein of form, and retains the same focus he displayed in conversation during the week.

"As long as I play well for the team that is my role, and hopefully I make good decisions on the pitch with my captaincy, " said Easterby when asked about getting back into the Irish starting XV. "If the team wins then I will be more than happy. That is what I am concentrating on and not thinking about anything else."

As single-minded as ever. Which is why O'Sullivan should pick him once again.