Rhys Marshall: My granddad used to talk about Munster

Rhys Marshall makes light of riding a horse around a farm of 5,500 hectares for 12 hours, five days a week over two years and rounding up 28,000 sheep in the process.

But he is virtually stuck for words when it comes to describing his emotions when lining out in a Munster rugby jersey in front of a packed Thomond Park Stadium.

Last autumn, the 24-year-old from Taranaki turned his back on rugby in New Zealand and quit his life as a shepherd for a fresh career as a project player with Munster. And there hasn’t been a second of regret.