Power play needed for misfiring Munster

IT was not the type of preparation any of the Irish sides would have wished for last weekend before resuming their respective European journeys, with all four provinces losing in the Magners League.

Munster will be thankful for small mercies and a kind draw that now offers the first of their crucial back-to-back fixtures against Perpignan in the familiar surroundings of Thomond Park. With four losses from four away games in the Magners League, coupled with another away defeat to Northampton Saints in the opening round of the Heineken Cup, Munster have developed an alarming case of travel sickness. It is just as well they are not heading to the south of France this weekend.

Munster’s season has been a case of one step forward, two steps back. Having re-integrated the returning Lions prior to the autumn internationals and steadied the ship in the last game with an impressive 24-10 win over Ulster, the November break came at a time when Munster were just about finding their feet.