Huge year ahead for Connacht rugby

If you needed any more confirmation that the rugby landscape has changed immeasurably with the advent of professionalism, then look at the demands placed on our provincial squads over the festive period.

Over the years, we had little sympathy for overpaid Premier League soccer stars whose workload increased dramatically during the Christmas holidays in order to sate the appetite of a hungry football audience. Rugby has now arrived at that stage.