O’Connell up for the challenge

PAUL O’CONNELL’S face still bears the abrasions of Welford Road, but that is nothing to the Munster captain. It’s a new week and there’s a new challenge ahead.

Even so, the lessons learned against Leicester have already been taken on board ahead of tomorrow’s game against Bourgoin and, as much as possible, have already been factored into the Munster training.

Whatever negatives there were against the Tigers have been noted, as have the positives, and O’Connell has adopted a typically optimistic demeanour after the somewhat fortunate outcome.