Cup fever in both hemispheres

TWELVE months ago this week, the whole of Munster was engulfed in a state of rugby hysteria never before witnessed in the province.

There was just days to go to a third Heineken cup final appearance in Cardiff. It proved to be Munster’s finest hour.

One year on and the curtain was drawn on a disappointing domestic season for all the Irish provinces last Saturday. While both Ulster and Connacht have been particularly erratic since January, Leinster retained some hope of attracting silverware to these shores when they fought for the Magners League title right to the death.