Dan Leavy ready for a ruck with old pal Tadhg Beirne

Dan Leavy and Tadhg Beirne were once wide-eyed pilgrims following the same path towards rugby’s Promised Land.

It’s only two seasons since the pair were academy players at Leinster and desperate to shed the yellow bibs that denoted their apprenticeship status in training by thundering into the more seasoned pros around the club’s base at UCD. Such devotion earned contrasting rewards.

Beirne made just four appearances for his home province in the 2015-16 season — one, against Cardiff Blues at the RDS, when he came off the bench at the same time as Leavy — before being cut loose to build a career somewhere else.