Rassie Erasmus intends to soak up derby atmosphere at Thomond Park

Win or lose, Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus intends to savour the atmosphere of Monday’s Irish “derby” Guinness PRO12 clash of Munster and Leinster at Thomond Park.

The South African admits to almost being at a loss to understand what was going on when the sides met at the Aviva Stadium in October.

“It was a weird one for me”, he admits. “There were a lot of people, but we were sitting in a sound-proof coach’s box. It’s the first time I’ve experienced that. You couldn’t feel it at all, it was almost like watching a game on TV without commentary.