Hartley keen to test himself against the best

NORTHAMPTON captain Dylan Hartley is looking forward to this evening, when he and his teammates will pack down against Munster in their Heineken Cup opener. You’d expect him to talk up his opponents, and he doesn’t disappoint.

“It’s as big as they come. What better challenge than Munster? Munster away is the only thing that could be harder than what we’ve got, so I guess at least home advantage will be nice. They were in the semi-finals last year and winners the year before, so it shows what they can do.

“They have plenty of big games, history, and a huge amount of travelling support. Personally I’m looking forward to facing Jerry Flannery. I just want to play against the best players and the best teams.