Tommy Bowe

It's a shame.

big time big driver listen we're a small country on the global stage one of the top teams in the world at that Irish rugby is and he would have been a key driver in that as well so listen as you say to Anne-Marie and his family as well commiserations I need to move on then to other stories and listen he put the structures in place to create the provinces that got them to the top level but he was strict in terms of parameters and money and spending that he put on the teams as well and

Leinster I'm seeing at the minute obviously Leinster are losing James Lowe he made a very emotional kind of goodbye I'm going through the kind of players leaving and coming the different provinces at the minute but I do want to bring up so Leinster right let's talk about actually Leinster the people that they have leaving right

So they've got Slimani is leaving.

Jerry Kerr is leaving.

John McKee, Will Connors, who's going to Connock.

Luke McGrath is going to Perpignan.

Ciarán Frawley is going to Connock.

Rico Ioanni is going back to the Blues.

James Lowe, I think he's going to Suntory.

And then there's a host of...

academy players leaving as well I'll go through the other players going into the other provinces a little bit but there's been a bit of a backlash from Leinster I think in this in terms of they feel they're being badly treated because they're having to let go of players and I know that James Tracy's come out and he said by default we are weakening Leinster in an attempt to make the other provinces catch up

I would disagree with that.

Well this is it and listen I've been a part of Ulster and I've seen over the last couple of years how their budgets have been shrunk and shrunk and

And it's been really difficult and cost-cutting.

And finally, I think they're starting to turn the corner.

You're seeing more investment being put into Connacht and Munster and Ulster.

And I think for the stronger Irish rugby as a collective, you have to have four strong provinces.

Yes, you do want Leinster who are going to be at the very top.

And for them to be competing with those French teams, losing the likes of Frawley and James Lowe is difficult.