Three key areas

Over the Christmas while he was back home for a few weeks, Tadhg Kennelly popped over to Cork and then to Limerick for a couple of days to give Ronan O’Gara, Tomás O’Leary and a number of their other Munster colleagues some pointers on how to improve catching the high ball.

IT was meant to be tight, it was meant to be edgy. It was nothing of the sort.

A PUBLIC spat between France coach Marc Lièvremont, his Stade Francais counterpart Michael Cheika and centre Mathieu Bastareaud is threatening to overshadow France’s preparations for Sunday’s Six Nations encounter with Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.

IN THE end, the final act fell to Jonny Sexton, ball belted into touch to end what had been an absorbing if error-ridden encounter. Victory yet again for Leinster, and fully deserved, let it be added. On the night, however, did Jonny cement his current position as Declan Kidney’s first-choice out-half for Ireland?

Munster 12 Northampton 9

EVER since David Humphries decided to wind down his first-class career, Irish rugby has lived in mortal fear of the consequences if the unthinkable ever happened and Ronan O’Gara came a cropper.

WHEN Shaun Payne signed for Munster five years ago, few took a great deal of notice. He had a good track record, initially in his native South Africa, where he was part of a crack Natal Sharks side, and more recently with Swansea.

A PREVIEW copy of the RTÉ’s “Reaching for Glory: Inside Irish rugby 07” was passed amongst the press core in Santa Fe last week, but one player who probably wouldn’t have appreciated a viewing was Geordan Murphy.

IT’S BEEN a soggy Spring for Munster outhalf Ronan O’Gara.

”SWAP kings”, I think it was Patrick Sarsfield was quoted as saying after the Battle of the Boyne, ”and we’ll fight ye all over again!”