When it was decided that the 19981999 Interprovincial Championship would, for the first time, be played on a home-and-away basis, it gave the championship a new dimension and the series proved to be an outstanding success. The matches have drawn record crowds, and proved very beneficial to the players. It was an enlightened decision.

In the three-year period since the new order, Ulster won the European Cup, Munster reached the final last season and the semi-final this season. There is no doubt the competitive nature of the interprovincial series has helped the provinces in their preparation for the European challenge and has broadened the experience of young players above the club level and helped in their development.

One thinks of Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara, Peter Stringer, John Hayes, Alan Quinlan and David Wallace, to mention just some. They have all benefited from playing in the interprovincial series and subsequently in the Heineken Cup. There was a new level of organisation in relation to the provinces and preparation for the championship, influenced, too, of course by the fact it carried qualification for the Heineken Cup.

When it was decided earlier this season the Irish provinces would, next season, play in the Celtic League, it was deemed very likely the Interprovincial Championship would revert to the old regime of each province playing the other once and that, indeed, some of the matches in the series could be incorporated into the Celtic League programme. I have great reservations about the Celtic League in what is already a heavy schedule and certainly did not want to see the Interprovincial Championship sacrificed on the altar of the Celtic League.

I understand now, however, there has been a revised thinking on the interprovincial structure, and the home-and-away format will be maintained next season. That is very good news.

One or two of the interprovincial matches may also be part of the Celtic League, but the desire, indeed the intention, is to keep what has proved to be a very successful formula.

When a few months ago we were hoping to cast aside winter's cold and dark days and face into the much more pleasant days of spring, there was much happening in the game to offer great hopes of excitement and achievement. Ireland had beaten Italy in Rome, France in Dublin, and the Munster team was on the march again in the Heineken Cup. Then came the disruption no one could have envisaged - the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Britain.

Ireland's matches against Wales, England and Scotland went by the board, Munster's preparations were badly disrupted and all playing activity came to a halt for weeks. The withdrawal symptoms were painful before activity resumed, but too late for Ireland's matches in the Six Nations Championship, all three of which will now be played in the autumn.

However, I think it would be fair to say that the AIB League gained some benefit and we are certainly set for an exciting weekend in the first division. Cork Constitution stand assured of finishing on top but the finishing order in the next three places and qualification for the play-offs will be decided tomorrow, as will the relegation issue. And, regarding the AIB League, I have seen some excellent matches in recent weeks. In the semi-finals we could have two clubs involved, Galwegians and Dungannon, who have not previously reached the knockout stages. The league still has a lot to give the game in this country.

There will be plenty happening to keep us interested in June. There is the Lions tour and, for the Ireland players not chosen for the Lions, there is the visit to Bucharest to play Romania on June 2nd. After a few weeks' break the Ireland squad will travel to Poland for two-and-a-half weeks' training camp. Changed times indeed. In addition the Ireland under-21 side will be competing in the SANZAR tournament in Australia from June 20th to 30th. Long gone are the old days of a four-months closed season from May to August.

While March was a dismal month for rugby because of the foot-and-mouth outbreak, the autumn will be hectic. The Celtic League is due to start on August 18th, the Heineken Cup on September 29th, the same weekend the AIB League is also is due to start.

Ireland will travel to play Scotland on September 22nd, go to Cardiff to play Wales on October 13th and play England at Lansdowne Road on October 20th.

Following that there are three internationals scheduled for successive weeks in November. The Western Samoans are due to play Ireland on November 10th, Ireland will meet New Zealand on November 17th and Canada on the 24th. However, there is, I understand, considerable doubt about the match against Western Samoa. The Samoans are having some difficulties on several fronts and the match may not go ahead.

So the demands on the players will be considerable in the early months of the season. The demands on the financial resources of the ever loyal supporters will also be considerable.

In the Southern Hemisphere a few years ago, they found that flooding the calendar with representative matches was not productive. People did not have the financial resources and attendances dropped. On the 1997 Lions tour to South Africa not one of the provincial matches attracted capacity attendances. That situation would have been unthinkable on previous Lions tours. There is a lesson there for the game in these islands.

In conclusion, in last week's column, the overall summary of the Test record involving the Lions and Australia should have read played 17, 14 won by the Lions and three by Wallabies. Prior to the 1989 tour 14 Tests had been played between the teams.