Tomás O'Leary hopeful Munster's Páirc Uí Chaoimh visit is first of many

Tomás O'Leary hopes that tonight's historic Munster rugby clash at Páirc Ui Chaoimh is just the first of many games for the province at the Cork city venue.

The former Cork minor hurler and Munster outhalf thinks that the visit of South Africa A sends out a strong message that old attitudes to 'foreign games' have changed.

"I grew up obsessed with multiple sports but GAA was the heartbeat of my family household," he told 2fm's Game On.

"All I wanted to do was emulate my father [All-Ireland winning hurler Seánie] and wear the blood and bandage of Cork. Thankfully I got to represent Cork, train and play in Páirc Ui Chaiomh multiple times, and with with my club Erin’s Own.

"It’s a historic stadium and it’s great for the people of Cork – two sporting worlds colliding. It’s brilliant that we can go out and support our province in our local stadium

"The GAA is still the heartbeat of Ireland but by having these events I think it illustrates how far the organisation has come."

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O'Leary is hopeful the occasion can help to better promote rugby in the county, given Munster play the majority of their games in Limerick's Thomond Park, and that it might pave the way for high-profile European or URC interpros to be played further south.

"It’s a reward for the fans that have had to travel a lot to Limerick, a nod to the importance of Cork to Munster rugby," he said.

"Hopefully it’s the first of many big fixtures. If you have a big team coming to town and you have the potential to get an extra 12/13,000