Munster must start with away win

With five Heineken Cup successes over a magical seven-year period between 2006 and 2012, European rugby had become a happy hunting ground for the Irish, writes Donal Lenihan.

The national side profited too from the dominance enjoyed by Munster and Leinster with a Grand Slam finally delivered under Declan Kidney’s watch in 2009.

Since then, the ground rules have changed appreciably on the club front, especially in France and England, with vastly increased financial resources flooding into those two markets, courtesy of improved television deals for their domestic leagues and the deep pockets of a clutch of rugby-loving benefactors.