Grass still green at home in Munster

EVER return somewhere, full of nostalgic memories, believing everything would be just like before, only to be disappointed? Going back to Thomond Park last Sunday was nothing like that at all.

The contrast between the low of Nantes last Saturday night for Racing Metro and the same-as-ever hungry Munster performance in the Heineken Cup against Perpignan less than 24 hours later was marked to say the least. Even allowing for the graveyard shift on a Sunday lunchtime, it felt like a proper Munster occasion. 23,000 people setting the tone, and a few special friends in the tunnel and dressing room afterwards. Ye, the grass is still green on the other side alright.

Having bigged him up in the column last week, it was gratifying that Keith Earls turned my words into deeds with a man of the match display against Perpignan.