Reds blood young guns for Pro14 battles

The European debuts came thick and fast as Munster said their farewells to the Heineken Champions Cup for another season and made a determined change of direction towards the Guinness PRO14.

Qualification for the quarter-finals had been denied them long before their lunchtime kick-off at Thomond Park, the victories in other pools on Saturday for Ulster, Northampton Saints and Glasgow Warriors as unpalatable as the breakfast servings of pre-match pasta they woke up to yesterday, but just as hard to swallow would have been the thought of not going out from this competition with a bonus-point victory over the Pool 4 minnows.