Roll out the red carpet for Munster

LAST WEEKEND was another momentous one for Irish rugby. The achievement in getting two sides into the semi-final stages of the European Cup can only be appreciated in the light of the fact that English rugby failed to get any.

For some time now I have felt that the quality of the Zurich premiership has been overstated. Given that six English teams set out in this competition compared to our three, the achievement of the Irish sides is even more remarkable.

Having watched Leinster play on Saturday, their performance was clearly affected by a lack of match practice in the build up to their quarter-final tie with Biarritz. One feared that Munster would face the same problem on Sunday. It was interesting therefore that their cohesiveness and teamwork seemed that little bit sharper than Leinster.