With that tantalising World Cup clash between Ireland and France cemented in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but watch the respective performances of Clermont Auvergne and Leinster over the weekend in the context of that crucial Pool D encounter.

Munster have built a reputation on delivering big performances when they’re least expected, and to survive the type of examination they were to get yesterday at the Stade Marcel Michelin, nothing less than a season’s best would suffice, writes Donal Lenihan.

WHILE professionalism is now well entrenched in rugby, John Kelly’s role for Munster Rugby has progressed from a decade as a paid player until the Ireland wing’s retirement in 2007 to that of a volunteer, albeit one a chair of a PGC responsible for the recruitment and retention of players as well as the hiring of the coaching staff.

Munster head coach Anthony Foley has thrown down the gauntlet to JJ Hanrahan by asking the reportedly unsettled young playmaker to provide the cutting edge needed to inflict a famous victory over Clermont Auvergne at Stade Marcel Michelin tomorrow (3:15pm Irish time).

Munster supporters won’t have to walk more than 20 minutes tomorrow to satisfy all their needs on a pivotal day in the province’s history in a competition which they have graced from the outset.

If CJ Stander brings even half his fiercely competitive nature to bear on Munster’s journey into the lion’s den at Stade Marcel Michelin today, then the province should have nothing to fear from Clermont Auvergne.

Munster coach Anthony Foley is still praying for a miracle that one of his international loosehead props can recover for this weekend’s crucial weekend trip to Clermont Auvergne.

Clermont Auvergne have a full squad to pick from for Sunday’s Champions Cup showdown with Munster after coming through the bruising Thomond Park encounter unscathed.

WITH home games against Munster and Saracens to come, Clermont Auvergne have grabbed Pool 1 by the throat and are firmly in control of their destiny, writes Donal Lenihan.

Anthony Foley needs his beaten up Munster squad to stand up and be counted this week as he prepares them for the biggest challenge of his short tenure as head coach. 

Clermont Auvergne head coach Franck Azéma will ensure his side take nothing for granted when they host to Munster next Sunday.

Munster head coach Anthony Foley has asked for clarity from referees over dangerous play after seeing Peter O’Mahony taken out off the ball by Clermont lock Jamie Cudmore.

Victory over Clermont Auvergne on Saturday is non-negotiable for Munster captain Peter O’Mahony as he prepares to lead his side into another must-win European home game.

Jonathan Sexton kicked 16 points as Racing Metro defeated Benetton Treviso 26-10 at Stadio Comunale di Mongio.

Potentially seismic back-to-back clashes with Clermont Auvergne await Munster in December after the fixtures for the new European Rugby Champions Cup were confirmed yesterday.

Ronan O’Gara and Jonathan Sexton’s first season in France will come to an end next weekend unless they can defeat Toulouse away in the first of the play-offs for the Top 14.

Leicester captain Ed Slater refuses to cast his Tigers as underdogs when they challenge Clermont’s supremacy at the Stade Marcel Michelin today.

Four quarter-finals, each with fascinating sub-plots. Our rugby analyst looks for the tell-tales indicators.

Richard Cockerill insists Clermont’s intimidating home record offers Leicester the chance to make history when the heavyweights clash in Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.

Thoughts of a potential Heineken Cup semi-final with Leinster can wait as far as Munster head coach Rob Penney is concerned, it is a first visit to Thomond Park by four-time champions Toulouse that will exercise his mind as European competition goes into the knockout stages.

Having faced an All Blacks back three of Israel Dagg, Cory Jane and Julian Savea, Dave Kearney pretty much ticked every box in one 80-minute period in terms of defending attacking threats.

Will Gloucester’s rotation policy come back to bite them?

It may be an all-French affair when ASM Clermont Auvergne and Toulon clash at the Aviva Stadium this evening in the 18th Heineken Cup final, but there will be no escaping an Irish tinge to events in Dublin.

Clermont Auvergne coach Vern Cotter yesterday played down the loss of his captain Aurelien Rougerie and flanker Gerhard Vosloo for today’s Heineken Cup semi-final.

Three key areas where Munster must impose themselves this evening

Keith Earls has reclaimed his place in the starting line-up for Munster’s Heineken Cup semi-final in Montpel0lier against Clermont Auvergne.

Nobody has done it now for almost three-and-a-half years, not since a Frenchman who just happens to be appearing in Dublin this weekend on European semi-final business.

Clermont Auvergne coach Vern Cotter has cranked up the heat ahead of Saturday’s Heineken Cup semi-final by claiming Paul O’Connell was protected by officials over the incident with Dave Kearney.

Clermont Auvergne 36 Montpellier 14

Harlequins familiar home venue, the Twickenham Stoop, will stage their Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Munster on Sunday, April 7 (2pm).

Clermont Auvergne 46 Exeter 3

Harlequins are poised to become this season’s first Heineken Cup quarter-finalists tomorrow - if they can see off the Connacht challenge.

There’s been a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth since the Irish whitewash in Europe over the weekend but it is about time people start to realise that we have no divine right to be winning Heineken Cups with the regularity we’ve enjoyed in recent times.

For almost six years in the early to mid-1980s, Jahangir Khan was unbeatable, as far apart from his sport’s rivals as Tiger Woods or Michael Schumacher were at the peak of their careers.

Clermont Auvergne travel to Dublin on a three-pronged mission later this week.

Blindside flanker Kevin McLaughlin is Leinster’s biggest injury concern ahead of their must-win Heineken Cup Pool 5 meeting with Clermont Auvergne at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (3.40pm).

Rob Kearney has rolled the clock back on his injury comeback but insists Ian Madigan can withstand another aerial inspection from Clermont this weekend.

No-one knows better than Joe Schmidt how hard it is to chisel out a win at the Marcel Michelin.

FOR the third season in-a-row, the best two sides in the Heineken Cup meet outside the decider itself.

Clermont Auvergne 15 Leinster 12

Isa Nacewa admits Leinster and Clermont Auvergne know each other so well their crunch Heineken Cup meeting on Sunday is almost a derby fixture.

Fifty games.