Appetite for battle is honed at clubs

WITH the likelihood of another passionate full house at Thomond Park on Saturday night, it promises to be another great Munster-Leinster occasion, even if there is every possibility that the two sides will meet again in the knockout stages of the Magners League.

But let’s take a step back from that game and occasion for a moment. Paul O’Connell’s heartfelt plea to the Irish players before the England game to match their technical ability with the traditional virtues of heart and passion was highlighted by many of the players as key to the outcome of that contest.

While some of the Munster and Irish sides I was part of may have been lacking on the technical front, heart and passion were central to all the good days and notable achievements. It was something we learned and inherited from our club structure.