Munster should really try to put a Cork in it

If the big matches are confined to Thomond Park then a sense of detachment is encouraged, particularly if a larger facility is available in Cork, writes Michael Moynihan.

Hiked it to Limerick last week for the launch of the Munster Rugby High-Performance Unit at the University of Limerick, a ceremony which, as you might imagine, was as Limerick-centred as a Richard Harris retrospective held under the river Shannon itself with The Cranberries providing the soundtrack.

At times, I wondered if someone had money on the word ‘Limerick’ being mentioned as often as possible, and found myself inspecting the crowd enjoying the finger food in case there was cash exchanging hands, or anyone saying out loud, ‘I told you we’d break three figures, pay up’ etc. No joy, unfortunately. My conspiracy theories remain unproven.