Marcus Aurelius Antonius probably didn't have the RBS Six Nations Championship in mind when he said that, but what he said was apt. Six weeks was an eye-blink for such an all encapsulating competition . . . the shortness of time for this competition was and always is about the golden sesterces. It most definitely deprived us of being victor ludorum. I'm empty just at the moment and motivation for a Six Nations rehash eludes me. Marcus knew how to call time on something.

"Time is a sort of passing of events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away."

Heino, Argo, Web Ello no time to reminisce.

As I walked about Rome over the weekend I was transfixed by its history and staggered by its architectural testament. The eternal city surely stands true to its name . . . the belligerent emperors Trajan, Vespasian and Domitian fortified Rome's battlements to stand the test of time. But those charged with building the fortifications, moats, towers and steepling walls around these castles neglected to take into account the one really vulnerable point in the citadel . . . the gift shop.

Always situated at the base of the walls and always open . . . all a determined enemy would have to do was overpower the two little old ladies working there and victory was assured.

The emperor Edwardus Poison. . .

Dwarfus similarly has weaknesses in his fortifications. I'd estimate the very constituent components of the make up of his starting XV. For such a meticulous pre-planner his likely XV for the RWC '07 has arrived by way of chance and circumstance . . . it means that if he is to play three high octane test matches in the space of 14 days (France, Argentina, New Zealand) . . . something he was unable to do this season in the space of 21 days (Wales, France, England) he will have to recognise how some of his best players came to him . . . mostly against his better wishes and judgment.

He will need to recognise the errors made, go against the grain and take a few chances based on the evidence presented.

Well what do we mean by chance and circumstance . . . ask yourself who were Ireland's best players this season. On the basis of consistent brilliance it was David Wallace and Gordon D'Arcy. Boy they were good. When the team was being picked over the last while or so were these two the first names on the sheet?

Don't think so.

Last season when Declan Kidney was playing David Wallace in the centre and out on the wing . . . what was Eddie doing?

I know the two of them aren't kissin' cousins but if Declan Kidney was playing Paul O'Connell at scrum half . . . I'm sure a phone call would have been made.

Fast Eddie had stated there were deficiencies and weakness' in Wallace's game but they are as unrecognisable to me now as they were when he played, say, in the Heineken Cup Final in 2000.

He has stayed injury free for a good while now but I can't understand how someone like Johnny O'Connor got in for a season or so ahead. O'Sullivan just didn't seem to want to pick him. It is unthinkable to suggest Ireland would have had the successful season they have had without him.

D'Arcy too was a leper with spots, all he was missing was his bell . . . unclean, unclean. Barely tolerated at Leinster, unsafe at full back and side-lined out to the wing. D'Arcy was capped in the RWC '99, the programme notes say he suffered "a dip in form" until he was selected to start against France in 2004. Well according to my calculations that's a five year dip in form. I always thought the guy had electricity flowing through his veins. He had a few issues with management, but that should never stop you from attaining your potential. To say that D'Arcy "started" against France is a misnomer. It was a mistake . . . Leinster were playing a Celtic League game prior to the championship, they had no-one to play at centre . . . I mean no-one. If it was a choice between the bloke in the song "Gordon is a moron" or Gordon D'Arcy they would have had to think about it.

D'Arcy shaded it and the rest is history . . . but the point is it was an accident, a mistake! D'Arcy's latent brilliance might never have been showcased . . . now noone can touch him. The accidental superstars. If Eddie O'Sullivan or Niall O'Donovan can take credit for moulding and shaping Denis Leamy into the player he is now then they can take blame apportioned agin' them for not recognising the current numbers 7 and 12 in Ireland's set-up and how diluted their strength would be in their absence. I say they were accidents. How many more accidents are waiting to happen?

Dennis Hickie's quality was always recognised . . . he was injury prone but mentally durable. He has had to wait to get back . . . difficult sometimes to shift Andrew Trimble or Tyrone Howe out when fit again . . . good players but trailing Hickie in terms of quality, and then there were the indignities of Tommy Bowe and Matt Mostyn. Andrew Trimble's injury opened the gate for Hickie . . . he was on fire for all five of the RBS matches . . .

it was chance only that he made it.

Chance has robbed us too of our leaders at vital moments . . . O'Driscoll against the French and the last 15 against Italy.

O'Connell for the entire match in Rome.

It showed how short we are in the leadership stakes. In the last 15 in Rome the lunatics had taken over the asylum.

There is nobody who can lead in the pack . . . only Hickie on the wide outside has the intelligence to see what's happening on the pitch, call it and then make the change.

It was no coincidence that, in the middle of Eddie's 2006 autumnal blip, when Ireland were stuffed by New Zealand and well beaten by Australia, that O'Connell and Brian O'Driscoll were absentees.

They were back for the championship and the difference counted. The good new is that both will be rested and fresh for the World Cup in September. Llanelli and Wasps are of secondary importance. Another accident though.

O'Connell's absence was never more keenly felt than in the tight exchanges.

It was time for Donnacha O'Callaghan to put in a huge performance . . . get away from O'Connell's coat-tails . . . and to be his own man. He was hugely ineffectual.

O'Connell is a force of nature and it is easy to look good in his slip-stream, which O'Callaghan has done for a long time, but when he plays in the row with an inferior player he isn't the same player. Mick O'Driscoll injury or no, he was wiped out by Santiago Dellape and Marco Bortolami . . . their physicality and athleticism can only be matched by someone of the same stature. Trevor Hogan too is a light heavy-weight. More bulk is required.

London Irish's Bob Casey is not on talking terms with Fast Eddie. It is amazing though who he decides he can work with when needs be. Victor Costello wouldn't have had a good relationship with the Irish coach . . . but this was put to one side in the interests of the team.

If Italy minced us up front . . . God knows what will happen in France against the French and Argies. Power and grunt will be at a premium, I wouldn't let the fact that just because some one plies their trade in the UK that it should preclude them from World Cup selection. Just bite your tongue Eddie. I'd bring him to Argentina to see how he fronts up . . . I wouldn't have any worries.

In terms of taking chances . . . it's time Eddie took one or two . . . it has become patently obvious our reserve cover isn't up to it. New Zealand took a chance in 1995, they took a raw, fast and powerful No. 8 and turned Jonah Lomu into an awesome winger. Stephen Ferris probably at this stage of his career isn't good enough to play back row for the national side but I'd bet he would make a better scrummager than Simon Best . . .purely because physically the boy is a beast.

We need a few accidents to happen in the next five months . . . one or two will happen in Argentina . . . hunger for a world cup spot will ensure it. But Eddie has to put aside some of his selectoral prejudices and pick his best 30 players or it will come back to haunt him. Think outside the box Eddie.