BJ Botha and Denis Hurley headlined a list of departing players from Munster as plans for life under incoming director of rugby Rassie Erasmus continue to take shape.

Paul O’Connell’s departure from Munster looks like being a long goodbye but vice-captain Denis Hurley admitted yesterday the loss of their iconic star will probably only sink in after the World Cup.

After being outplayed from first whistle to last and losing emphatically on the Kingspan Stadium scoreboard, Munster were in no position to make excuses for Saturday night’s Guinness Pro 12 at the hands of an outstanding Glasgow Warriors side.

Whatever about the gathering Munster bandwagon, which will this weekend take them into a Guinness Pro12 semi-final at home to Ospreys, its origins lie in the sands of Lanzarote and a February warm-weather training camp.

The sunshine beaming down on the pristine Musgrave Park turf as the Munster squad went about its business gave the scene a pre-season feel, but, in the words of Denis Hurley, there is no mistaking his team are primed for the business end of this Guinness Pro12 campaign.