Stars aligning as Munster defying the odds again

So much has changed since Munster set out on their inaugural fixture in this season’s Champions Cup campaign that it’s difficult to grasp that they now sit just 80 minutes away from an appearance in the semi-final stage of the tournament.

It’s fair to say, leaving Cork on that fateful weekend back in October, that not too many gave Munster much of a chance of turning over the reigning French Top 14 champions Racing 92 as the plane left the ground in Cork Airport.

Much of the talk on the flight was focused on the disappointing 25-14 defeat to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium the previous weekend and given the quality Racing had available to them, most feared the worst.