put paid to

But later discoveries of rare earth minerals and abundant oil and gas put paid to that label.

The prospect of a move to the Red Devils came in 2012, when Lewandowski was scoring prolifically at Borussia Dortmund - and two years after a volcanic eruption in Iceland had put paid to his Blackburn switch.

Jim Lovell was one of the 110 test pilots considered for selection but a temporary liver condition put paid to his chances.

But Robert Kubica won the race at the age of 40, with a severely damaged right arm - the legacy of a horrific rally crash 14 years ago which nearly took his life and put paid to a glittering career as a Formula 1 driver who could have won world championships.

Maybe the dramatic rise and rise of 20-year-old England back rower Pollock put paid to his chances also.