Rugby was back last weekend as the four provinces squared off in PRO14 ties.

There were a fair few jokes about the lack of spectators being a throwback to the inter-provincial clashes of the 1990s, but the hope remains that the current state of affairs will be just a temporary one.

Unfortunately for Munster, and Ireland, there was a lack of Joey Carbery too and a return date for the out-half remains unspecified after his latest injury setback.

It’s just over a year since he suffered an ankle injury in Ireland’s World Cup warm-up game against Italy and, while he returned for Munster around Christmas and new year period, a wrist injury put him on the sidelines again and it was decided that the ankle problem warranted more remedial work.

Despite surgery, it has taken time to heal properly and he will remain on the sidelines for some time. As much as it is a blow for Munster and Ireland, one can only imagine what it’s like for the player himself.

“It’s an incredibly frustrating time at the moment, but I am making good progress over the last couple of weeks,” he said.

“Even though the ankle isn’t where it needs to be just yet, I’ve full confidence it will heal and be pain-free soon, and I will be back better than ever. I just need time right now.

“I’d like to say thank you to the IRFU and Munster for their continued support and for having my back throughout it all. I’d also like to thank my girlfriend Robyn and my family for always being there when I need them.

“Lastly, to the fans, I’m so excited to get back out in front of you guys. It’s going to be such an exciting season ahead and I cannot wait to see where we can go as a squad. Hopefully, we will all be back in Thomond Park soon together.”

Encouraging words and hopefully ones that will be borne out. Carbery certainly deserves a positive break.

Cork front and centre in latest GAA innovation

There was a time when a faceguard for a hurling helmet was just that, but the spread of COVID-19 has led to the advent of a new style of covering.

They say that the best ideas are the simplest ones and, for Derek Sheehan and Fergie Twohig of Valley Rovers GAA Club in Innishannon, Co Cork, it was a case of a eureka moment during the lockdown when they considered the world that awaited when GAA returned.

The end result was the HurlSafe visor, a piece of clear hard plastic which slots into the various styles of helmet guards.

“Both of us are involved in coaching and working with kids and we have children playing and we were asking each other what we were going to do,” Sheehan says.

“I was after doing a lot of security for offices and I was wondering if there might be some shield that could be put inside helmets to stop the spread of the virus or to prevent it being contracted.

“After that, it just spiralled. I had massive help from Damien O’Brien of Sign Spec. I went to him with the idea and he fitted it up to see if it would work inside a helmet but then we hit an issue with the fact that the one for the Mycro helmet wouldn’t work for the Cooper helmet.

“It went from there and we said we’d roll it out in the club here and see if it had an impact in slowing down the virus. We did a lot of research to make sure we had something that was shatter-proof – it’s made from polycarbonate – and there’s anti-fog material as well, but it is pretty close to you so it will steam up to some degree.

“It doesn’t go above the eyes, so visibility isn’t affected, but it covers the nose and the mouth.”

With demand picking up a head of steam, the next step was gaining official approval.

“I went to the GAA with our first prototype and they thought it was terrific,” Sheehan says.

“I got a response within a few hours of them getting it, they wanted more information. We did a lot of work to make sure it was ultra safe, with no sharp edges or corners and it’s cable-tied to the inside of the guards.

“We’re after getting an order from a club in Reading in England for a couple of hundred.

“We kept everything Irish. The printing is done in Bandon and Damien from Sign Spec was a phenomenal help, he kept having to make tweaks, I was telling him to move the drill-holes and so on. He’s not a sports fan or a hurling fan, so he thought I was half-mad!

“We got it right eventually. In the circumstances, it would probably have been cheaper to get them produced abroad but we didn’t. They’re cut in Fermoy by Michael Burke in Adva Signs, he has the cutting machine, which can be very hard to source.

“They come back then and all of the families help out with the packaging!”

For more, see www.hurlsafe.ie