Niall Scannell itching for return to rugby as inter-pros loom on the horizon

'The more rugby I get the better at the moment. Any rugby I’ll take and all the big games against these lads. They’re nearly like Test matches'

‘The more rugby I get the better at the moment. Any rugby I’ll take and all the big games against these lads. They’re nearly like test matches so the more that I can be involved in the better,’ says Munster’s Niall Scannell. Picture: Inpho/Tommy Dickson

When Niall Scannell takes the field against Leinster on Saturday it will be the third time he has faced Munster’s provincial keenest rivals in his last four games. If familiarity can often breed contempt when it comes to derbies then the hooker is only overjoyed at the prospect of seeing some of the same old faces.

A runout against Connacht sandwiched those previous two encounters with the reigning Guinness PRO14 champions. That was back in the autumn when provincial rugby reconvened in its temporary Aviva Stadium bubble after the first of the Covid lockdowns and thoughts of a third would have been met with disbelief.