Rhys Ruddock looks to send reminder to Joe Schmidt ahead of Cape Town Test

Bragging rights, points, momentum: there’s any amount of things at stake when Leinster host Munster on Saturday, and yet Rhys Ruddock can’t escape the fact that this week’s derby will be framed by the context of events passed and others yet to come.

For him, this is about far more than just one interpro game.

With CJ Stander likely to be wearing No.8 for the visitors at the Aviva on Saturday evening, it is a Guinness PRO12 outing that will be played out against the backdrop of a recently ended Six Nations in which the Munster man was favoured with the number six jumper by Joe Schmidt.