What happens when the stuff you’ve studied doesn’t come up in an exam?

Scarlets’ Jonathan Davies is staggeringly underrated in Ireland, perhaps because he will always be the one who ‘took’ Brian O’Driscoll’s Lions jersey four years ago in Australia, writes Ronan O’Gara.

I read this week that 268 internationally capped players appeared in the Guinness PRO12 this season. Undoubtedly over the last four or five years, its significance has increased, as has its quality. Clubs have to keep a weather eye on business at home as well as getting all glammed up for Europe.

Leinster took their eye off the ball last Friday, which was bizarre. They scored 91 tries in regular season, but struggled to be any way inventive against 14 men for the second half of their semi-final at home to Scarlets. I knew from watching five minutes of the Scarlets semi an upset was on the cards. The body language of the Leinster players screamed they were there for the taking. Difficult to fathom. Then there were those few minutes when Evans got red-carded and it felt like Leinster would kick on, but they never did. Ten minutes after the break, I knew Leinster hadn’t a hope.