Donal Lenihan: Evergreen Keith Earls remains a serious weapon for Munster and Ireland

One wonders why Andrew Conway appeared to fall out of favour as the campaign progressed

Ireland's Keith Earls celebrates after scoring a try against Scotland. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Spare a thought for the provincial coaches this week.

When the Heineken Cup was revamped back in 2014, the tweak that exercised the minds of the brains trust in Munster and Leinster in particular, given the numbers both supplied to the national squad, was the reduction in preparation time from three to two weeks between the finish of the Six Nations and the quarter-final of the newly-branded Heineken Champions Cup.