Rugby may have become faster since the game went professional and more tries have been scored but when conditions were as bad as they were at Stradey Park last Saturday night in the Llanelli and Munster match you would have thought you were watching a game back in the Seventies.

Last week, I said that Anthony Foley should be brought back into the side, and when I spoke to the Number 8 on Wednesday he seemed to be in good form.

When I asked him was he on the team, he replied, "Well my hat is in the ring."

He may have known more than he was telling me but, as Declan Kidney wasn't going to announce his side until the Friday afternoon, Axel's lips were sealed.

Anthony had been brought up on tales of his fathers exploits in strong Shannon and Munster packs. He knows all about the art of keeping it tight or the benefits of 'solid football'; tactics that were ideal for last Saturday night's mudbath in Stradey.

There was a little incident in the second half of the match when Denis Leamy had a rush of blood to the head and decided to kick the ball into the Llanelli half.

The Welsh team counter attacked and won a penalty, which Priestland converted.

Foley, who was leading the pack, had a quiet word in Leamy's ear and that was the end of the kicking game. It was 'up your jumper' from then on, and there followed a brilliant series of 30 drives, culminating in Marcus Horan's try by the posts.

It reminded me of an incident back in the late 1970s in a Shannon and Garryowen Munster Cup game, when Sonny Kiely, later to become an excellent scrum half, was playing his first game for Shannon. The 'parish' pack were household names then—Gerry and Mick McLoughlin, Noel Ryan, Noel Glynn, Brendan Foley, Niall O'Donovan, Colm Tucker and Johnny Barry.

The incident happened on the Garryowen 25, when Shannon heeled a quick ball from the scrum. Sonny sent a fine dive pass out to his out half who in turn passed it to the centres. The ball was dropped and Garryowen ran in for a try under the posts.

The Shannon team stood waiting for the convert to come from Tony Ward, when 'Lockey' called Sonny aside.

"Listen here young fellow," said Gerry, "Don't ever let me see you pass out a ball to those backs again.

Your job is to pass that ball back inside to Colm or 'Niallo'. Never leave it out to those fellows." Anthony Foley turned the clock back in Stradey when he told Stringer what was expected of him in the last quarter of the game.

It was pick and drive, pick and drive, with the scrum half feeding the ball back to the forwards. The Munster fans on the sideline may have been lashed by wind and rain but they felt no cold as they cheered on their heroes.

Now it's back to Thomond Park on Sunday for the second test against the Scarlets.

Conditions will once again dictate which way Munster will play it but with Foley back at Number 8 and last week's 'man of the match' Ronan O'Gara back to his majestic best, the team is equipped to play the 15 or 10 man game.