Donal Lenihan: On a spring Saturday in Trinity's College Park, thoughts drift towards Twickenham

Many is the time I climbed into a Dublin taxi for the driver to ask the question. You could see it coming. “Do you mind if I ask you a question. Who do you prefer playing with, Ward or Campbell?”

GRASSROOTS: On a glorious day in Trinity’s College Park, in the heart of Dublin’s College Green

COLLEGE Park one week, Twickenham the next. There was a time when a player would feature for his club in a comparatively meaningless friendly, before a sparse audience of rugby diehards just seven days in advance of running out for Ireland in some frenzied 60,000+ arena in the Five Nations Championship.

In the amateur days, the annual tournament was what international players lived for. The adrenaline rush as the bus pulled into a Twickenham car park packed with Land Rovers, their boots full to the brim with gigantic wicker picnic baskets overflowing with the best of food and drink.