Paulie tells Reds to stay grounded

Munster second-row Paul O'Connell has urged his teammates to remain grounded despite opening the new RaboDirect PRO12 season with back-to-back wins.

The Ireland international missed the victories over Edinburgh and Zebre due to an injury picked up on the successful British and Irish Lions tour of Australia this summer, but has been impressed by his side's solid start.

The 33-year-old fractured his arm during the Lions' first Test victory and was subsequently ruled out of the rest of the tour, but insists he is "nearly there" for a return to club action.

Munster visit Treviso on Friday, and O'Connell told the 2fm 'Game On' show that the next few weeks will give a clearer indication of the province's capabilities this season.

"It's a good start but it's important for everyone to remember they (Edinburgh and Zebre) are not the strongest two teams in the competition," he said.

"We have Leinster, two ERC games and then Glasgow coming up”.

"That's a big four-week spell for us and we'll get a better feel for where we are after those games."