Why I will never criticise Munster marvels

“DON’T spare them now!” a man said to me on Saturday referring to the Munster team that had lost the Heineken Cup quarter-final the previous evening, “don’t spare them!” he repeated.

I was in the uplifting company of Dominic and Christy Hanley, coming off Charleville’s beautiful golf-course, and was just about to tuck into the big breakfast in the clubhouse, a consolation for what had just happened on the course.

“Don’t spare them.” Never would I dream of laying into the lads on this Munster team, never. They went out against Llanelli Friday night determined to give their best. They tried to give their best, they did their utmost to do their best; they failed.