If only it was like this all the time

A month ago at Musgrave Park after Munster had clinched the interprovincial crown by overcoming Ulster in a titanic struggle, the clearly despondent visiting players were making a quick retreat to Limerick for an early-morning return flight north. Scarcely 30 minutes after beating the living lard out of each other and exchanging unpleasantries as it were, Paddy Johns and Andy Ward, along with Anthony Foley and Alan Quinlan, were warmly saying farewell and wishing each other bon chance in Europe.

Maybe the perception that the Irish provinces hang closely together is greentinged, but there was genuine delight that Leinster had toppled Northampton in the home dressing-room at Thomond Park on Saturday, and no doubt vice versa, which would have been extended in spades to Ulster for their heroics in Toulouse 24 hours later.

The last time the three Irish participants in the European Cup were unbeaten in the same round was on the opening weekend three seasons ago. On that occasion Munster and Leinster won, beating Padova at home and Llanelli away respectively, while Ulster, curiously enough, drew 38-all with Edinburgh Reivers. But that threesome hardly compares to last weekend's.

It's a little premature to start swinging from the chandeliers just yet, but whether it's a good omen or not, two Irish provinces did go on to reach the knockout stages two seasons ago with Ulster, of course, then going all the way. However, even the Ulster team of two years ago would never have managed Sunday's escapology.

After the game, both Ulster coach Harry Williams and Andy Ward conceded that the relatively constrained if successful tactics of two seasons ago, when playing for field goal position and being steered to glory by the unerring boot of Simon Mason or the drop goal expertise cum try-scoring opportunism of David Humphreys, simply didn't cut the mustard last season. They had to evolve and they have.

Even in defeat they looked a very good side when losing to Munster that night in Cork and with a little more luck and belief should really have pushed Saracens for longer last Sunday week. Their willingness to stay on their feet and offload in the tackle for support runners and their running game in general have evolved significantly this season.

Ulster may have ridden their luck to a certain extent but James Topping's aerial ensnaring of a flying Cedric Desbrosse in the in-goal area has to go down as the try-saving tackle of the season. They deserved their draw and Welsh referee Nigel Williams had a fine, brave game, correctly disallowing two late Toulouse "tries".

PLAYING catch-up hasn't been Ulster's strongest suit this season, and even Jim Neilly was moved to describe Desbrosse's 72nd-minute try to make it 35-21 as the "clincher", adding that Ulster were "dead and buried".

Moving past the 80-minute mark that looked even more the case, but the way Humphreys helped manufacture injury-time tries for Jonathan Bell and James Topping, and quick-wittedly drop-kicked the conversion to the former, showed his genius, not to mention his mental strength with the equalising conversion under immense pressure.

You have to laugh when you reflect on the widespread dismissal of his placekicking credentials following the missed penalty against France three seasons ago. This has carried into this campaign, disregarding his match-winning penalty in Paris last season. With Ronan O'Gara also in sublime form, the Irish management are spoilt for choice, while the Test and A squads announced next Monday should also reflect the greater options in other positions.

The place-kicking percentages of O'Gara and Humphreys have been steadily in the 80s, but alas, not so Eddie Hekenui. The curse on Matt Williams's place-kickers continues, with the new recruit's two straight-forward misses on Saturday taking his ratio to seven from 15 in three games.

If Leinster start landing their kicks and stop giving away needless penalties and sinbinnings, they could start to rival Munster as real Euro contenders. Their defence is excellent, and the opportunism of their three Lions hopefuls - Shane Horgan, Brian O'Driscoll and Denis Hickie - was manifest in their brilliant long-range try.

As it is, they've now given themselves a great chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals for the first time in five years, given they lead Pool One and Friday's return meeting with Northampton is the first of two home games on the run-in.

Though unbeaten and on six points in Pool Three, Munster are not hugely better placed and the RTE assertion on Sunday night that they're only one win away from securing a last-eight place has to be disputed. Effectively, Munster only have one away win more than their main rivals, Newport and Bath, both of whom have still to play host to Munster and still have chances to emulate Munster's win away to Castres - who are the one side out of contention and possibly losing interest.

"This group is going to go right down to the last match," said Munster coach Declan Kidney. Although, bearing in mind tries scored have usurped points difference in the event of sides finishing level, encouragingly Munster took their own try tally to nine at the weekend, while Bath's and Newport's remained at three and five.

The contrast between post-match events at Toulouse and at Thomond was telling however. Tributes from both coaches to their opposing fans poured forth afterwards at the Munster venue, Jon Callard repeating his pre-match utterance that a visit to Thomond Park is part of the game's education "and you've certainly not been fully educated in rugby until you've experienced it. I've got to say it's wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I thought the crowd and their knowledge of the game and also their appreciation and respect was fantastic. Christ, if only rugby was like that all the time."