Gordon D’Arcy: No URC games during international window hit Leinster the hardest.
Munster party fly home from South Africa but 14 members remain in Cape Town.
Connacht without Bundee Aki as they look to keep up URC winning run against Leinster.
“How can they utilise him to make space?” wondered D’Arcy and, indeed, that was a question that we hoped would be answered on the pitch, with Stringer opining “guys have got to hit the ground running” on the long-awaited return of competitive rugby in the truncated season. “You don’t see many secondrows spin passing like that,” remarked Tommy and not even attempting to hide his envy. 'You might not see it at home but there’s a stare-off, he’s not happy with where the touch has been awarded'īowe described RG Snyman as a “6’ 9” monster,” positively drooling as he saw the South African’s pre-match warm-up including the sort of passing more usually associated with an outhalf. eerie, strange feel.”Īnd, in the build-up to the match, much of the trio’s preoccupation was with a certain Springbok World Cup winner who, crowd or no crowd, was the centre of attention. As eir Sport finally got some payback for having the television rights to the Pro14 match between Leinster and Munster at an eerily quiet Aviva Stadium, you’d swear old warhorses Tommy Bowe, Gordon D’Arcy and Peter Stringer had never been in each others’ company before they kept so far apart.Īnyway, their pre-match strategising from down on the pitch was eerie enough in itself, what with the gap they religiously kept between one another, but just in case we missed the point, main man Bowe was intent on letting the viewer know that this latest battle between the two provincial giants was unlike any other.
In fairness to the lads, they were models in regard to their social distancing.