Clare draw the short straw in both codes

Nobody over-eggs anticipation like World Rugby. The draw for next year’s World Cup in Japan was made last May, a full 803 days before the start of the tournament.

A World Cup will eventually be something to be excited about but there wasn’t much in what was unveiled last week for Championship 2019, a likely 216 days out from a ball being kicked or pucked in anger.

The changes to the provincial hurling championships meant most was already known about the Leinster and Munster set-ups and the premature release of the fixtures made it obvious who received a bum steer.