McGrath makes peace and moves on as Leinster's redemption tour starts in Italy  

Scrum-half and Blues teammates spent parts of the summer reckoning with late-season slump and are determined to get it right

Seeing the wood for the trees: Luke McGrath during Leinster Rugby squad training session at Energia Park in Dublin. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

It's no surprise to hear that sleep proved elusive for Luke McGrath at the back end of last season. Pipped at the post by La Rochelle in the Heineken Cup final, Leo Cullen’s side then had their mitts removed from the league trophy for the first time in five years by a superb Bulls performance in the URC semi-final in Dublin.

Amidst all this was the birth of his first child, Bobby, who arrived the day after that European defeat in Marseille. The lowest point followed immediately by the highest, as McGrath explained, but the change to what had been the painstakingly assembled routine of a professional sportsman took some getting used to.