Leinster eager to get back on track after Clermont humbling, says Ross

It may well be the season to be jolly but four lots of proud and grumpy provincial players will be squaring off in and around the Christmas period on the back of the Irish professional game’s worst weekend in six years.

Not since 2006 had all four of Ireland’s professional clubs tasted defeat on the one European weekend and two will suffer the same fate this weekend as Leinster travel to Belfast and Munster make the trip to Galway.

“We’ve had a good run of form [until now],” said Leinster’s Mike Ross of the provinces in general, “and every professional rugby player in Ireland is in training this week, pretty annoyed about how the weekend went so it should be pretty interesting this weekend.”