Brian O'Driscoll was joined by Nathan Hines via telephone on Newstalk's Off The Ball on Friday night, and a very interesting discussion took place regarding the "dark arts" of rugby.
On Thursday's Off The Ball's roadshow in Coppers, Gordan D'Arcy described Nathan Hines as the dirtiest player he had ever played with, while Brian O'Driscoll gave him a much kinder description of the most "cunning" player he had called a teammate.
Hines revealed that despite getting into more than his fair share of altercations with opponents, Jonny Sexton was the only player who refused to shake his hand after a match, but upon Hines' arrival at Leinster they sorted their differences early on.
Playing the way I do, I wasn't sure how I was going to be received [at Leinster] because I had been playing against these guys and then you're in the same team.
The only guy who pretty much didn't want to shake my hand was Sexton, and we sorted it out straight away, but if I got dealt with on the pitch I wouldn't hold it against the guy after game, but if we played again it's a different story.
On that subject, O'Driscoll then revealed that after Marcus Horan badly winded him with a cheap shot, he waited, plotting his revenge for 18 months until it became clear that he wouldn't have the opportunity to get one back on the Munster man.
I had one or two of those situations throughout the course of my career where someone would get a shot on me or cheap shot you off the ball, and I remember in the weeks [leading up to] that game, it would play on your mind.
You'd try and wait for scenarios, particularly as an outside back where you wouldn't find yourself in confrontation, and you'd try to do it as legally as possible but you left nothing behind.
I missed Marcus Horan on one, he caught me off the ball in the one after the Northampton final down in Thomond Park, the Pro 12 final, and I was badly winded. I remember for the next year and a half, any time we played Munster I just waited. He was on the bench a few times, and then injured, and I was injured and it just never transpired.
If I see him out for a few pints in Limerick one day, the two of us are gonna go head to head! No, it's all good, I just wanted to get that opportunity but it never reared it's ugly head.
O'Driscoll was then asked if after 18 months or so whether of not he would just forget the incident, and his response was very clear.
No you don't, you store them. Without letting them distract from your game, but if I had sniffed out any opportunity in those Munster games, I would have availed of it.
It sounds like Marcus Horan was lucky to get away without retribution.
You can listen to a snippet from tonight's off the ball below, and you can listen back to the full discussion over on Newstalk.ie:
