Now for some ruthlessness

Munster 24 Ulster 10

Yet this Thomond Park victory over a decidedly second-string Ulster outfit on Saturday night left head coach Rob Penney as baffled as he has been at any stage of his still brief tenure in charge at Munster.

A stormy night was no place to expect the slick rugby Penney is trying to integrate into a more-rounded game-plan for the players he inherited last summer, yet as he surveyed an at times laboured performance there was something missing that should be evident under any circumstances — ruthlessness.