Neither player really got one.

If the positive tale to emerge from the first decade of so of Irish rugby professionalism revolves around happy-go-lucky Heineken Cup adventures across the continent, then the slightly murkier side to the whole thing is the disenchantment among the disaffected, the talented and able deputies who were rarely given a opportunity to nudge their heads into the spotlight as success was being so desperately chased. The list is bigger in Munster than any other province. Peter Bracken. Trevor Hogan.

Stephen Keogh. Mick O'Driscoll, until he returned.

Jeremy Staunton. Mike Prendergast. And, of course, the two on whom the spotlight shines this afternoon, Reddan and Murphy. All homegrown players who had to cut the apron strings of home in order to find their full and true potential.

We doubt even the most blinkered of Munster followers would argue that all of the above and, more particularly, our two heroes this afternoon, are not in a better place now. Their love and passion for their home province remains undimmed but it's tinged with something of regret that they hung around so long to play second fiddle to players that were never going to be nudged from their perch.

"It seemed with Munster that all you needed was to perform well for one year and it would be nearly impossible to get dropped, " said one former Munster player this week. Those in the shadows felt no matter how well they were doing in training, or how impressively they played when they got a rare opportunity on the pitch, they were never going to usurp the incumbent.

For Reddan and Murphy, 26 and 25 respectively, this situation was more pronounced than for most.

Stringer is an excellent scrum-half, a player who gets oceans of unwarranted criticism from sections of the press, but during the two years both Reddan and Murphy spent together at Munster, the Irish scrum-half played 1155 out of a possible 1200 minutes in the Heineken Cup. And even then, for 39 of those 45 minutes that he wasn't on the field, Mike Prendergast was the back-up scrum-half, for one reason or another. While it might be an environment conducive to the pursuit of success, it's not exactly the type of place where talent is afforded the opportunity to develop.

"It wasn't a difficult decision to move to Leicester in pure rugby terms, " says Murphy, who made just 15 appearances in his four years. "The last two years there were extremely frustrating. I was playing regularly in the Celtic League towards the end of Alan Gaffney's last year in charge, and I was on the bench for the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Biarritz that year too, but then a new coach [Declan Kidney] came in and he had his own ideas."

Reddan's frustrations were somewhat similar. "It was a hugely frustrating situation to be in and I know it was a big frustration of others in the camp, too, " he told this paper last year. "You can't blame the internationals for being away and it would be unfair if they lost their provincial place simply because they're good enough to represent Ireland. It's a peculiar kind of problem."

The way Reddan and Murphy have blossomed since moving across the water suggests it's a kind of peculiarity that needs fixing. Both players are almost in awe at the "club" culture at both Wasps and Leicester, an environment where all players know exactly which side their bread is buttered on and respond accordingly. There also appears to be something of meritocracy in place. Play well and no matter who you are, or who you're replacing, you'll get picked.

It seems to suit the pair of them. Reddan, first of all, has been something close to an instant hit since he arrived in London at the start of the 2005/06 season. He gave as good as he got in the battle at scrum-half with Matt Dawson in his first year with the club and he's now out on his own as first choice. He'd be the first to admit he started the season a little slowly but, like all good players, he's hit form, particularly his two-try effort against Leinster in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals, at the business-end of the season. It's a sure sign of a top, top player.

As for Murphy, he's worked his way impressively this year from third-choice scrum-half at Leicester to second-in-line to the throne and has benefited from Harry Ellis's injury misfortune. Back in October, on the day Leicester's eight Irish players posed for the cameras in the build-up to their Heineken Cup game against Munster, you worried for the seemingly shy, quiet lad from Cork. There was no need to. As the season has progressed, Murphy appears to come out of himself, particularly on the pitch where his calm yet forceful authority in bossing his pack around the place has really stood out.

Admittedly, there's tougher roles in rugby than being scrum-half behind an alldominant Leicester pack but he's slotted into the role seamlessly.

It'll be an interesting battle between them this afternoon.

At Munster, Alan Gaffney gave Limerick native Reddan far more game time in the Celtic League than Murphy, although there were signs towards the end of the Australian's reign that he was beginning to get a liking for Corkman's abilities. As scrum-halves, they're not all that different. Both possess excellent passes, although you'd give the nod to Murphy in this department, and while both are keen to snipe around the fringes when possible, Reddan does pose more of a threat when he decides to have a go.

Neither, though, have been caught up in dissecting the other this week, in public at any rate. "I'm delighted for him, " says Reddan. "He got his chance and took it last week against Gloucester. I think I know him well enough to be able to say I'm happy for him." Murphy takes a similar complimentary tone. "I know him pretty well, all the scrum-halves got on well with each other at Munster.

He's done extremely well with Wasps and he's pushing Strings now to get into the Irish team."

There's his name again, their arch-enemy from what must seem like a different life.

The face on their dart boards now? Probably each others for the weeks that's in it.

TREBLE-HUNTING LEICESTER TO SHADE ROUGH AND PHYSICAL CONTEST HEINEKEN CUP FINAL LEICESTER v WASPS
Twickenham, 2.30 Referee A Lewis (Ire) Live, Sky Sports 1, 1.30

THE power Leicester showed last week in beating Gloucester in the Guinness Premiership final at Twickenham was truly phenomenal. Their Pacific Island wings, Alesana Tuilagi and Seru Rabeni, received most of the plaudits after the game for their hard and straight running but equally impressive was the sheer physicality of Leicester's efforts at the breakdown area. A young Gloucester side were blown away and the news that not one drop of alcohol passed the lips of a Leicester player on the bus back home proves the Tigers are focused on repeating the same trick in today's final. They won't be taking their eyes off the prize.

In saying all that, if there's one team in Europe that's capable of matching Leicester in the physical stakes, it's Wasps.

They may not have the same backline ingenuity that Pat Howard has managed to create at Leicester, but they have a monstrous pack full of aggressive and hungry players.

Not one player on either side is going to take a step backwards and it could be fairly gruesome stuff.

Overall, you get the sense that the battle of the respective back-rows will decide this afternoon's game. Lewis Moody (right), Shane Jennings and Martin Corry against Joe Worsley, Tom Rees and Lawrence Dallaglio promises to be a phenomenal contest, a sideshow to this afternoon's game that would be worth the admission fee all on its own.

Watch out also for the Eoin Reddan and Frank Murphy Munster reunion at number nine, and how Wasps' reshaped midfield of Fraser Waters and Josh Lewsey cope with the rampaging Tuilagi and Rabeni.

All things considered it's hard to back against Leicester completing an historic treble but it won't be laid on a plate for them by Wasps. It won't be aesthetically pleasing, either, but if you like your rugby rough and ready, this could be a real treat.

LEICESTER G Murphy; S Rabeni, D Hipkiss, D Gibson, A Tuilagi; A Goode, F Murphy; M Ayerza, G Chuter, J White, L Deacon, B Kay, L Moody, S Jennings, M Corry (c) WASPS D Cipriani; P Sackey, F Waters, J Lewsey, T Voyce; A King, E Reddan; P Vickery, R Ibanez, P Bracken, S Shaw, T Palmer, J Worsley, T Rees, L Dallaglio (c)