Leinster ready to get physical, declares Cullen

Munster-Leinster, with the greatest of respect to Ulster and Connacht, remains the blue chip of Irish interprovincials, but it didn’t appear that way yesterday on the training paddocks in Limerick and Dublin.

With Joe Schmidt hosting a mini-camp for the national team in Kildare, there was a scarcity of billboard names in the University of Limerick and UCD, where Anthony Foley and Matt O’Connor sought to make ends meet. Leinster, in particular, found themselves cut to the quick ahead of a game that should attract a bumper crowd to Thomond Park on St Stephen’s Day given up to 20 of their number were called away to Carton House.

That left O’Connor, Leo Cullen and co with 22 active players yesterday, a number that included academy undergraduates, with those players cleared to play in Limerick expected to report back today for a week already compromised by Christmas. Many of those who starred for Ireland in November are expected to be stood down, so it is hard to avoid the feeling that everyone is being short-changed: the players, their provincial coaches, the Pro12, media and TV and, most importantly, the spectators.