Former Lansdowne captain and coach Paul Clinch looks like following in the footsteps of former Blackrock College out-half Alain Rolland. Rolland took to refereeing a couple of years ago and, it seems, is hitting the right notes: he was in charge of a Schools' Cup match and a league final last season.

"Clincher", a no-nonsense sort of bloke, is planning to whistle his way around the province, dispensing summary justice as the mood takes. Like Rolland and other former players, the likelihood is that the excentre will probably have a good understanding of the game, and certainly the respect of players. "It is a way of keeping in touch. You can lose touch with the game so easily," he said. Hobby or vocation?