Munster well used to rocky road

AS the London Irish players embarked on a celebratory lap of honour at the magnificent Madejski stadium on Saturday, my mind drifted to a similar moment of exuberance exactly 12 months earlier.

On that occasion it was the Northampton squad taking the accolades after a four points win over Munster.

The boys in red watched, consigned it to the memory banks and reacted accordingly. Perhaps it is a tribute to how far Munster rugby has come that a victory over the former champions creates such reaction from some English clubs.