Full-strength Leinster ‘relishing’ Reds clash

Paul O’Connell may have been the totem for Munster’s shock defeat of Harlequins at The Stoop last weekend but James Downey’s tackle on Mike Brown summed the day up in one fearsome fraction of a second.

The image of the full-back emerging from his 22 with ball in hand only to be dumped backwards by a perfectly executed challenge from the Munster centre is already assured of legendary status in any DVD of Munster’s greatest European moments.

Alongside Casey Lualala, Downey brought a physicality to the midfield that Harlequins just couldn’t match and it must have provided considerable food for thought for Leinster this week ahead of their trip to Limerick tomorrow.