The ripple effects of Munster’s bonus-point win over Leinster in Croke Park will be felt when they host Connacht on Saturday. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
This one was not as big, the rewards were not so tangible. Yet, somehow, it felt more significant for both victors and vanquished alike. It is unlikely to mark a shift in the balance of power akin to the 2009 Heineken Cup semi-final in Croke Park, but it may well prove to be a line in the sand.
To begin with, the ripple effects of Munster’s bonus-point win over Leinster in Croke Park will be felt when they host Connacht at Thomond Park next Saturday (kick-off 7.45pm). But the consequences will likely linger for longer than that.
Munster merely accrued five points from last Saturday’s 31-14 victory, whereas the semi-final in the Aviva three seasons ago ultimately led to a long-coveted piece of silverware in the shape of the URC title a fortnight later.
However, last Saturday’s storming of Croke Park when 13-2 with the bookies seems a bigger one-off win than three seasons ago, when 7-2 underdogs, not least as this is how it will be felt among the squad, the backroom
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