Magners League Preview: Munster

"What's that coming over the hill", as the Automatic have been heard to ask more than once, "Is it a Munster?  Is it a Munsterrrrrrrr?"

Yes, it is.  European Champions Munster (and, as a self-confessed Munster fan it still feels good to type those words) have a lot to live up to this season.  The silver polish had barely been ordered after the victory over Biarritz in Cardiff when Anthony Foley pointed out that Munster needed to take the triumph as a springboard, not a finishing point.  If they are to measure themselves against the European greats, they need to win the Heineken Cup again.  Toulouse have won three, Leicester two.  There's still work to do, but if there's one thing this Munster side aren't afraid of, it's hard graft.

COACH:  Declan Kidney is the man being put forward for canonization by the rugby fans of the province, having finally brought back the Holy Grail.  Being Munster Rugby coach, though, is a tricky business.  Now we know they can win the Heineken Cup, we'll be looking for them to do it more often.  Kidney's success last season was in playing to the side's strengths.  Thus Ronan O'Gara's tactical kicking gained ground, and the line-out forwards won ball, which was carried forward by our back row.  And on occasion, when they got really confident, the ball was transferred to the backs, who crossed the line and scored tries.  Of course, sometimes the locks just barged over the line themselves, to save time.

KEY MAN:  Paul O'Connell.  Don't listen to all the "new Martin Johnson" nonsense.  There will only ever be one Martin Johnson, and what he gave Leicester and England was unique.  Paul O'Connell is a fine player in his own right.  On his day, there's no better line-out jumper in the world.  He can also carry the ball like a back-row, and gets through work at the breakdown for good measure.  Having Donncha O'Callaghan alongside him must help, of course.  Another contender would be Denis Leamy, who can play right across the back row.  He's a tough sod, but a lot more besides, and as Anthony Foley gets older it must be a joy for him to see someone cut from the same stone as him ready to take the torch.

NEW BLOOD:  Eoghan Hickey, a fly-half from Leinster, and Chris Wyatt, a lock from Llanelli.  Two squad signings who will get their fair share of play as Ronan O'Gara and the entire pack swan off on international duty.  Some amount of promotion from within should also take place.  Last season we saw Barry Murphy, Tomas O'Leary and Ian Dowling give our back-line some verve, so maybe there are some more gems to mine.

PROGNOSIS:  The best team in Europe, but only the third best in Ireland, if results were to be trusted.  Which they're not.  It'll be a hard ask for Munster to win the Heineken again, as the field is so even that picking a winner right now seems impossible.  They will want to perform better in the Magners (the perfect accompaniment to a steak dinner) League this season, just so Leinster and Ulster don't get any puffed-up ideas.  Certain to be there or thereabouts domestically, and a lot will depend on how the head-to-heads with Leicester in Europe shape up (including my marriage).