Ronan O’Gara knew Munster were good. He just didn’t realise quite how good. He could laugh about it afterwards, though it was a hollow effort quickly dispensed with. There just wasn’t an inch of him that found solace in the fact it was his province filleting his Racing 92 colleagues.

SOME of Ireland’s top rugby stars wore black arm bands yesterday as they completed the Irish stage of the cross-channel fundraising cycle for Munster’s former fitness coach Paul Darbyshire, who died on Monday after a long battle with motor neurone disease.

FORMER Munster strength and conditioning coach Paul Darbyshire has died from Motor Neurone disease, less than a day after the start of a fundraising cycle for his family and research into new treatment.

MUNSTER rugby players and supporters are organising a series of charity events to support a colleague and friend diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year and to research into the debilitating condition.