These conditions were made for Munster. A battle royale up front, then there could only be one winner. How wrong could we be? Instead, Leinster came to Cork and beat Munster at their own game. Took them on in the forwards and beat them, fair and square and deservedly so. Ok, the winning try (the only try) came from a great move by the Leinster backs but overall the platform for their win was put in place by the excellence of the Leinster pack.

The same pack that was been so maligned for so many years now, and one that has always lived in the shadows on their Munster counterparts. On Friday night last they came out of those shadows and turned in an excellent display, probably the best ever for them. Mal O’Kelly might have gotten the man of the match award but for me the best man on the field was Bernard Jackman. I was very impressed by the Leinster hooker and he looks to have a big future in the game. On top of that, Leo Cullen and Shane Jennings, have both really strengthened the Leinster pack since they have come back from Leicester.

Ok it may have only been the Magniers League but I really think that this was a watershed performance by Leinster, and all this despite the fact that their captain and talisman, Brian O’Driscoll, was forced to retire due to injury early in the game. I have no doubt that Michael Cheika will have been absolutely delighted with this win, but more importantly with the manner of the victory.

Declan Kidney on the other hand won’t have been best pleased by his team’s performance. Especially with such a crucial match against the Scarlets in Llanelli in the Heineken Cup this Saturday. A must win game and after Wasps went there and got a bonus point you’d imagine Munster will need to do the same. Not an easy thing to do, and certainly not on if they play like they did on Friday night. But Munster are a completely different animal in the Heineken Cup. Whatever it is about the Magniers League, they never have the same fire in the bellies for that as they do for the Heineken Cup.

**** Thankfully the threat of a strike in the GAA world, outside Cork at least, has been averted after the GAA, the government and the GPA came to an amicable agree-ment over the allocation of grants to inter-county players. My one worry is that it is to the elite counties, and not for everyone. I’m not so sure about the merits of that. Surely a Waterford footballer puts in a massive effort just like a Kerry or a Dublin footballer but there is nothing for them in this deal. I’d be afraid that it’s the big counties and the big names (who in a lot of cases are doing well out of the games as it is) who are being rewarded the smaller and less fashionable counties and players are once again being left behind. I don’t think that’s a good thing.

**** I was a bit surprised to read during the week that Alex McLeish’s yearly wage packet quadrupled in size when the packed up his job as manager of Scotland and took over as boss of struggling Birmingham City. The former Rangers manager was on £400,000 a year as Scotland boss and now as Birmingham’s number one that will rise to a very tasty £1.6 million a year. No wonder Ireland, Scotland and England are all looking for managers at the moment. I was also surprised with Paul Jewell’s decision to take the Derby County job during the week after the departure of Billy Davis. I think he could have held out for a better post than this as Derby look doomed to relegation, especially after Anthony Stokes 93rd minute winner against Sunderland. Surely Ireland would be a more tempting proposition than Derby?????

Oh I just don’t know anymore.

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