By the time Scott Deasy made his Munster debut when he replaced Ronan O’Gara against Connacht in December 2009, there was already a fair amount of excitement around a player who many believed was the heir to his fellow Cork out-half’s throne.

It never quite worked out like that however, and while Deasy did go on to make 37 appearances over four years for Munster, when he was released five years ago he decided to walk away from his dream.

Coming out of school in PBC, Deasy’s reputation was such that the cause for excitement was genuine.

The likes of Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray and Simon Zebo were part of a new wave of talented youngsters emerging from the province, and Deasy was central to that group.

Offers to remain in the pro game were not in short supply, but the Cork native felt it was time for a change, and he moved to Dublin to take up a job with Accenture.

Lansdowne didn’t hesitate in snapping up Deasy but as head coach Mike Ruddock recalls, the transition from professional rugby wasn’t that seamless.

“He’s been fantastic for us since he’s signed but having said that, I’m sure he’ll tell you himself, but the first season in the club and stepping down a level and perhaps moving away from the professional game and that transition, I think he found that, not difficult, but it was a genuine transition.