It was another successful weekend in the United Rugby Championship for Irish rugby.
Three of the four provinces qualified for the semi-finals of the competition and considering Ulster and Connacht faced off, it was a maximum possible return.
The reigning champions, DHL Stormers, are now the only team that can stop the trophy from returning to Ireland.
Ulster were hugely disappointing in their defeat at home to Connacht.
Connacht weren't perfect in their victory, missing a couple of scoring chances to properly reflect their dominance in the game.
However, they showed grit and determination to win the physical contest which gives you the edge that’s needed to win a knock-out game away from home.
What struck me from watching the game from home was the brutality of knock-out rugby collisions.
In the current year, with a World Cup looming, you’d have to wonder what kind of impact this will have on the Ireland squad and whether there’ll be a clean bill of health by the end.
Shamus Hurley-Langton was player of the match because of his general destruction but the Connacht pack were immense.
Conor Oliver, Cian Prendergast and Josh Murphy stood out as they punched above their weight all over the pitch.
Munster and Leinster will face off in another brutal interprovincial derby this weekend in the semi-final, meaning that there’s guaranteed Irish representation in the final of the competition.
That’s great news for Andy Farrell and the rest of his coaching staff and the interprovincial derby allows them to look at players ahead of naming a preliminary World Cup squad, but at what cost?
You need physical games to prepare for a World Cup, hence why there are warm-up games in the summer before heading off to their respective World Cup camps.
These league games and Champions Cup final are a huge priority for the clubs, and international starters and fringe players are hugely important for the success of the club. They won’t be holding back thinking about September.
However, watching the matches across the weekend, you’re almost wincing when any international player takes a big hit, when they get tangled in a ruck or when they land awkwardly from a high ball.
Leinster cruised past the Cell C Sharks in their quarter-final but there were still injury concerns.
Caelan Doris took a high shot from Makazole Mapimpi on the way to scoring a try.
He shook it off and there was no concern but there’s always a danger that there’ll be lasting effects.
We know how important his athletic and rugby ability is to Ireland’s cause and we also know his injury history in the past.
While the medical department were going through their standard checks, I feared the worst.
It looked like one of those innocuous injuries where you can’t see exactly what happened.
Physiotherapists will always check the cruciate ligament as part of the assessment, which would be one of the worst possible outcomes. Thankfully, the tape came out and they were happy for him to playon, using his dancing feet to gather a cross-field kick to score in the corner.
Another nightmare situation avoided.
Munster came away worse for wear from Scotstoun stadium.
Glasgow lose out-half Tom Jordan, who sees red for this reckless tackle on Conor Murray. #RTERugby #RTESport #GLAvMUN
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There were multiple head injury assessment’s, Conor Murray was probably the one of most concern after Tom Jordan’s high tackle that warranted and received a red card.
Head injuries, although worrying in the broader sense of the game, won’t worry the Irish management too much because these are usually short-term injuries.
However, where they become a recurring problem they would be worrying for a player both on and off the pitch.
I’m not taking the injury lightly but the numerous HIA’s that Munster suffered at the weekend shouldn’t impact Farrell’s selection.
However, it might take one more opportunity away from Calvin Nash for putting his name forward for the extended squad.
Peter O’Mahony’s injury would be a cause for concern.
It looked like an elbow injury with the way O’Mahony was pointing to it but he wasn’t in too much distress despite not able to firmly grasp Sione Tuipulotu as he sliced through Munster’s defence.
Damage to joints and bony structures would certainly be concerning for Farrell and his coaches at this stage because the recovery time can be a bit longer and if the injury is severe enough, it could rule a player out of World Cup contention, or at least disrupt their preparation towards their peak performance.
I’d love to know if Irish coaches are watching these matches through their fingers.
They speak about adversity and having to be resilient but now might not be the time.
It might just be easier to back off on that adversity until the end of the season and the World Cup preparation can truly begin.
If Munster want to win on Saturday evening, they’ll have to do to Leinster what Connacht did to Ulster and go at them physically in every contact all over the pitch.
They’ll need to get under their skin and hurt them physically.
Connacht will be the same, travelling to South Africa to take on the Stormers against the notoriously combative South African style.
All four teams will take lumps out of each other but hopefully that’s all it is and their recovery will be merely from bumps and bruises.
There’s nothing special about Ireland’s situation.
The French league is ultra-competitive and physical. La Rochelle and Leinster in the Heineken Champions Cup will be a particularly explosive affair.
The Rugby Championship takes place during the summer in the lead up to the World Cup and there won’t be any holding back there either.
There have already been casualties with the likes of Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi being sidelined, and despite being almost back to fitness, Johnny Sexton has been off his feet too.
Maybe that actually helped to preserve his body but the timing has been lucky in one sense and we’ll be glad to see him back in training.
Teams will drive on as normal and players will attempt to leave the external thoughts and doubts behind them.
But, looking on from the outside, it’s hard not to look at every collision and physio involvement without a small bit of dread.
Hopefully, the competitive rugby and season defining matches will also bring a slice of luck for Ireland’s World Cup preparations.
Follow Leinster v Munster via our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app, watch live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, or listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport.
