A rugby clash of old and new

Ten years ago, when rugby became fully professional, the prognosis for Irish rugby was far from rosy. We had one of the smallest rugby playing populations in the world, many of our best players were liable to be attracted by larger salaries overseas and there was a sense that its governing body, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), was - in spirit - totally opposed to abandoning amateurism.

Beyond the international side, there ...