Munster will need their Sunday best

IT WAS the comments of South Africa’s World Cup-winning captain John Smit that resonated most over the weekend.

Sampling the Heineken Cup for the first time, just three weeks after the high of leading his country to success in the Stade de France, Smit revealed his surprise at the speed of the game. “We (Clermont Auvergne) had good off loads, good skills and a great hunger. This is one of the most professional outfits I have ever been involved with.”

For a player who has tasted the rarefied atmosphere of Super 14 rugby with the Natal Sharks for a number of years, his endorsement of European cup rugby means something.