De Villiers ready to meet some old friends

Talk inevitably turned to the passing of time when Jean De Villiers caught up with Paul O’Connell and a few more of his old Munster cronies on Thursday.

Hard to believe, but over two years have slipped through the fingers since the South African last pulled on the red jersey and he found himself telling O’Connell about how, at one point earlier this season, he had two years more on his birth cert than the next oldest Springbok in the squad.

At 31, he isn’t exactly decrepit, even in sporting terms. And yet, he is liable to feel that little bit more grizzled when he runs out at the Aviva Stadium later this evening and sees some of the faces lined up on the far side of that red carpet.