Power shifts from Munster to Leinster

AS RUGBY weekends go, this one couldn’t have started much better from an Irish perspective.

Outstanding wins for Leinster and Ulster on Saturday guaranteed the former’s Heineken Cup quarter final berth with Ulster also on the verge of the knockout phase for the first time in 11 years. Connacht also did their bit with an excellent victory in Bayonne. No pressure on Munster then as they waited until yesterday in their fight for survival against Toulon.

Munster’s most recent experiences on the road against French opposition delivered outcomes that were poles apart in terms of performance, invention and results. If the victory over Perpignan in the hostile surrounds of the Stade Aime Giral proved the highlight of last season, then the sterile showing in the Heineken Cup semi-final against Biarritz represented the low point. Travelling to Toulon, I couldn’t help but wonder which Munster side would turn up.