This one could get dirty

With two finals on their doorstep and not an Aviva Premiership team in sight, the natives are getting restless

Wed, 16 May, 2012 - 01:00

A rugby player, coach and manager during a glittering career with Munster, Ireland and the Lions and now a definitive voice in Irish rugby analysis and commentary.

The Irish are the talk of Europe at present. For our counterparts in England, the sight of an Irish invasion of Twickenham on Saturday is too much to bear. With two European finals on their doorstep and not an Aviva Premiership team in sight, the natives are getting restless.

The fact that Edinburgh concentrated all their efforts in making the Heineken Cup semi-finals, to their detriment in the RaboDirect Pro12, where they won only six of their 22 league games, has added fuel to the fire. Despite the fact Twickenham is an 82,000 sell-out on Saturday, with over 50,000 tickets shifted before the knockout stages in April, the French and English are seeking change.