Fear factor a driving force for Munster

PAUL O’CONNELL has been a talismanic figure for Munster almost since the day he first broke into the side back in 2001.

Over the intervening eight years, he has been central to many great performances and memorable occasions but there is now a body of opinion that in the 37-14 rout of Sale Sharks last week, the side gave its most clinical display yet in Europe.

As captain of the team and man of the match, O’Connell might be expected to join in the eulogies that have flown since the demolition of the Sharks. But he’s a modest man and prefers to let others do the talking on the subject.