Leinster v Glasgow Warriors, Guinness PR12: Leinster flanker Sean O’Brien admits it was tough to watch from the outside as his team-mates fell to a 27-22 defeat at the hands of Clermont Auvergne in the semi-final of the Champions Cup last Sunday.

It’s imperative the Irish rugby snowball keeps on rolling in 2017 after such a productive end to 2016, writes Donal Lenihan.