There was a real good feeling following Munster’s great 36-13 win over Clermont Auvergne last Sunday afternoon.

It was the first game played in the new revamped and as yet uncompleted stadium but everyone agreed that the effort in staging the game there was a triumph of co-operation.

The Munster Thomond Park grounds development committee of Ken Lyons, John Hartry, Niall O’Driscoll, Garrett Fitzgerald and Pat Whelan are deserving of the highest praise.

They knew they had a deadline and they delivered on the day.

Pat Whelan, the chairman of the committee gave Charlie Mulqueen of the Irish Examiner and myself a tour of Thomond Park last Friday and was at pains to point out the building team work which had gone into making it possible to get the game played.

I’m sure everyone was praying that the weather would hold up on the day as well. It had been pouring down last Saturday but we only had some light showers during the match.

Pat told me the forecast for Sunday was rain spreading from the west in the afternoon. “Hopefully it won’t get to Thomond Park until after the game,” he said and his prayers were answered.

Thomond Park is not due for completion until next September but Munster will play two further Heineken Cup matches there, against Llanelli on Sunday December 16 and Wasps on the weekend of January 18/19 or 20.

Both matches will start at 1pm and will again be ‘must win’ games for the province.

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