Road to recovery begins now

THE SEASON may not be officially over, but, from the moment the final whistle blew on Munster and Leinster’s Heineken Cup ambitions, both provinces were in post-mortem mode and plotting next season’s campaigns.

Of course, the Magners League is still up for grabs, with both Leinster and Ulster involved in the shake-up. But it isn’t the Heineken Cup and, after all the early promise and a very decent year at provincial and international level, the season has spluttered to an inconsequential close.

The World Cup will take centre stage in the early autumn, but these coming weeks could prove crucial for all of the Irish provinces as they plan for 2007/2008.