Leo Cullen refuses to be drawn on nature of RG Snyman's Leinster contract

The IRFU has long been keen to keep pathways open to Ireland-eligible talent with blocks sometimes placed on certain prospective signings and contract extensions by the provinces for that very reason.

LEARNING: Leinster’s young players are gaining valuable experience from players like RG Snyman and Jordie Barrett. Picture: ©INPHO/Andrew Conan

Sports documentaries with “inside” access aren’t all they purport to be. Whether it’s the NFL’s ‘Hard Knocks’, Formula 1’s ‘Drive to Survive’, or the Six Nations ‘Full Contact’ series, the attraction is that we get to see a side to professional sport that had always been hidden from view.

It is, as we know, nothing more than a mirage at best, a confidence trick at worst. Sports bodies let us see what they want us to see. Being afforded a proper look under the hood to understand how these people and teams actually operate is another, more guarded, world entirely.