On a wing and a prayer as Bowe and Habana clash

TOMMY BOWE v Bryan Habana – now, there’s a head to head to savour as we build up to what promises to be a mammoth confrontation at Croke Park tomorrow.

It certainly conjures up special memories of the Lions-Springboks Test series of last summer when these two smashing wingers came into direct opposition at great rugby venues like Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria and Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

Whereas Habana was already a household name in the rugby world when the Lions touched down in South Africa, Bowe was still relatively unknown outside of Ireland and parts of South Wales where he now plies his trade with the Ospreys. By the end of the series, however, Bowe had established himself as a world-class number 14 and if anything had enjoyed an edge over his illustrious rival.