A strange kind of homecoming for Cork's Declan Kidney

Whether it is a first club pre-season campaign in 11 years or that some of those players he took charge of that summer are now coaches themselves, the reminders of a lifetime in rugby are plentiful as Declan Kidney returns to Cork this evening.

The two-time Heineken Cup-winning Munster boss will arrive in his hometown for a pre-season friendly against his old club at Musgrave Park with a London Irish team looking to gauge its progress after relegation from the Premiership.