THE favourites’ mantle is not one that has ever sat well with the footballers of Cork. While the county’s hurlers would have accepted it as their birthright, it tended to cause the big ball men acute discomfort.

Munster Rugby was today given a huge boost ahead of Friday's Heineken Cup quarter final against Llanelli, with the news that Toyota Ireland is to extend its sponsorship of the Munster provincial team in a three-year deal worth €5m.