Munster boys rubbing it inCould it be that Munster are indulging in a little gamesmanship when visiting teams come calling?

If what Bernard Jackman says is correct, the sometime European champions are resorting to tactics during matches that are, frankly, beneath them. The Leinster hooker's accusation is that the home side were handing him wet towels on Friday night to clean the ball before lineouts, while the Munster hooker was given dry towels.

Granted it was a wet and wild night and the likelihood is that everything was eventually sodden. But Jackman adds that in their game against the Dragons last week Munster "were up to the same thing", having marked the ball boys' cards before the game.

Food for thought indeed.

Number crunchers to fore

Since the game turned professional, the IRFU and the provinces have always said rugby is now a business and business models have therefore to be applied to the provinces if they are to function successfully (and sure enough the financial realities were illustrated on Friday when the Setanta network made the eagerly awaited Munster v Leinster clash pay-per-view while airing other games free of charge). That context is what makes Leinster's call for more non-qualified Irish players to be allowed come into the Leinster system all the more interesting.

The Leinster chief executive, Michael Dawson, and director of rugby, Paul McNaughton, have called for six high-profile overseas players to be allowed into the provincial set-ups (the present quota is three "high profile" and three "low profile").

Given their business qualifications, the two lads may well be listened to by the blazers in higher office. Dawson is a former stockbroker; Naughton has been, among other things, a high flier with the German finance house Deutsche Bank.

Eddie gets Baa-Baas bounce

The Barbarians' 22-5 win over the world champions, South Africa, on Saturday is bound to provoke debate. That Ireland's Eddie O'Sullivan was coach of the winning team will be largely dismissed by his severest critics, though you suspect the same critics might have jumped on the statistic had the Barbarians lost by the same margin, 17 points.

The winning margin was the biggest by the Baa-Baas over a Tri Nations side for 48 years. That's not a bad result for a beleaguered coach who, with the Six Nations Championship just weeks away, is in desperate need of some good news to bring home.

McScrum will be missed

Those who have been regularly attending rugby games and golf tournaments over the years will likely have noticed the McScrum brand of merchandise being sold around stadiums and golf courses. The vendor was none other than David Noble, a colourful character who was a permanent fixture at Lansdowne Road and Donnybrook over the years with his McScrum, McGAA, McGoal and McDivot brands.

Brother of Ronnie Noble, who played on the wing from Bective, David could also be seen caddying for professional golfers and was last spotted at the European Club carrying a bag in the Irish PGA Championship, which Pádraig Harrington won in a playoff the week before he went on to win the British Open. Some years earlier David would have been Philip Walton's bag man. He also had rugby associations with UCD and Lansdowne as player and coach.

But in latter years it was the McScrum brands that made him an eye-catching figure at various events. He was in Bordeaux with his flags and scarves during Ireland's recent and traumatic World Cup odyssey.

Sadly, that was David's final appearance at a major rugby event or golf tournament. He died last week. There are few-enough colourful characters in the professional games these days, and so doubtless McScrum and McDivot et al will be fondly remembered.

Quote of the week

We don't believe in the current competitive environment (where) you can reduce the number of foreign players while English clubs are increasing theirs.

- Paul McNaughton, Leinster's director of rugby, talking about the need to bring more higher-profile players to Ireland.