By Dan Collins
THE thorns of discourtesy in the England rose were last night dulled when rugby chiefs apologised to President Mary McAleese for Sunday’s absence of etiquette before the Grand Slam decider.

Ireland's graciousness in defeat has been well illustrated by the relative absence of outrage at the discourtesy shown by the England team to President McAleese.

Yesterday, radio broadcaster Pat Kenny thought pig ignorant best described the English affront.

The president was forced to walk on the pitch instead of the traditional red carpet when the England team decided to rake their studs all over the ceremony.

But yesterday both the English and Irish Rugby Football Unions wrote to the president after the affront at Lansdowne Road.

Moments before being introduced to the president, England captain Martin Johnson refused to move his players from the side of the pitch where he knew Ireland's players customarily line up. On three occasions he was requested to move, but to no avail. When the Irish team ran out, they had no choice but to stand alongside England on the same side of the pitch forcing President McAleese onto the grass instead of the carpet to meet them.

Last night England's Rugby Football Union issued an apology for the incident. "The RFU president Derek Morgan has formally written to the Irish president this afternoon," a statement said.

"In the letter copied to the IRFU he makes a full and unreserved apology for the events immediately before the kick-off of the Six Nations Ireland v England game."

Similarly, the IRFU issued an apology to President McAleese for allowing the mistake to happen at an event they were hosting.

The IRFU confirmed its president, Don Crowley, had written to President McAleese to apologise for the "embarrassing position" she was placed in "by the failure of the England team to follow established and communicated protocol" during the presentation of the teams.

Officials also wrote to the Rugby Football Union to express "concern and unhappiness" that the situation had arisen.

England captain Martin Johnson dismissed the pre-match confusion over where his players should stand for the introductions as "a fuss about nothing".

A spokeswoman for President McAleese said: "It's the end of the story," adding that the president or her aides did not, at any stage, raise the issue with the IRFU.