Donal Lenihan: How many of Andy Farrell’s Ireland are actually ‘world class'?

Of far more importance than results will be which country extracts most from the exercise in terms of developing their playing style and player depth

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell at the IRFU High Performance Centre, Sport Ireland Campus, Blanchardstown. Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

The announcement during the week that South Africa have committed to the Rugby Championship until 2030 not only came as a huge boost to southern hemisphere rugby but a massive relief also.

It ends persistent speculation about the Springboks looking to ply their trade in the Six Nations. It also means that we will have the strange prospect of the leading South African provincial sides, the Western Stormers, Blue Bulls, Lions, and Natal Sharks, competing in a newly formed Guinness PRO16 in Europe while playing their competitive international rugby south of the equator.