Proud Peter not finished pulling the strings

It is seven years since Peter Stringer packed his Ireland kit bag for what would be his final Six Nations campaign but that does not stop that annual championship feeling from taking a firm grip on the veteran scrum-half.

Not quite seven weeks since he turned 40, Stringer is still intent on playing professional rugby. His search for a new club, having not had his contract with Worcester Warriors renewed at the beginning of December, still remains on the player’s terms, such is his peak physical condition as the accompanying images will testify.

This weekend, though, the Munster legend will be behind a microphone rather than in front of the cameras as he joins the TV3 commentary team for their first Six Nations offering as a championship rights holder, when Wales meet Scotland in Cardiff.