Munster must find performance ceiling in Croke Park cauldron

Playing to their capabilities is the absolute necessity for Rowntree’s team at Croke Park and Munster’s focus will have to be razor-sharp in the hottest of atmospheres. 

RIVALRY RENEWED: Hugo Keenan of Leinster is tackled by Craig Casey of Munster. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

No better time or place for a temperature check on Leinster-Munster relations than a sold-out Croke Park as the URC campaign moves up a gear in Dublin on Saturday evening.

In the 15 years since these two rivals last met at GAA HQ, in front of 82,000-plus supporters for a Heineken Cup semi-final that marked the most significant momentum shift in Irish rugby from red to blue, there has been little sign of parity, never mind a swing back to Munster’s pre-eminence before that day in 2009.