Eoin Larkin driving on after setbacks

Eoin Larkin has had a rougher season than most, though not because of any on-field opponents. A bout of illness earlier this year means he has had to work hard to regain his fitness.

“I was back about three weeks and got glandular fever,” he says now. “That was another kick in the teeth, but thankfully I got through it.

“I was sleeping nearly three or four hours a day, then going to bed and sleeping that night. I had to take it handy and was out (of the barracks) a couple of weeks, it takes all your energy.