Tommy O’Donnell braced for real test of Munster progress

Tommy O’Donnell believes Munster’s current winning run will count for nothing if there are not further improvements in the upcoming European clashes with Leicester Tigers.

The province will go into this weekend’s Champions Cup home clash with their old European rivals on the back of six consecutive victories. Yet with director of rugby Rassie Erasmus describing their latest win, a narrow Pro12 defeat of Glasgow Warriors last Friday at Scotstoun, in less than glowing terms, O’Donnell knows the step up to a bigger stage this weekend will require commensurate gains in performance levels.

“Like all teams, you naturally have to look at the next game and step it up from the last,” O’Donnell said. “We have players coming back from a tough international window. They have players coming back who only played last weekend for England at an international intensity, so we are going to have to raise our game from that perspective to take on players who are used to international intensity and who are used to that type of game.