Still too much to expect from Munster

It's an old one but it's a goodie. As Tony Adams was moved to remark before an FA Cup tie at Millwall's New Den: "It's never easy coming here" - ignoring the fact that it was actually the first game at the venue. Similarly, in round two of the European Cup, it doesn't get any easier for Munster.

While Connacht and Leinster have made breakthroughs against Northampton and Leicester this week, Munster take on Cardiff in the first game of the season at the Arms Park mindful of last season's 48-18 drubbing at the same venue. To extend Harlequins to 48-40 last week at the Stoop was a credible effort, but this will be the fire after the frying pan.

"I would think from everything we've seen it's going to be far and away harder than the Harlequins' match," admitted the Munster manager Jerry Holland. "It's going to be a different level again in my estimation. From what we saw of Cardiff last year it's going to be a huge test for everyone."

Holland recalls that Munster were in it until half-time, when Cardiff led 24-18, before being blown away. "After that it became one-way traffic. I know the heads kind of dropped a little. The way they played, they had power everywhere; they had pace everywhere. They're a class side and certainly I would see them as being a lot more confrontational than Harlequins would ever be."

A video of Cardiff's failure by one point at the supposedly impenetrable fortress of Bourgoin won't have deterred Munster from that view. Afterwards, the huge Cardiff pack received an approving imprimatur from the Bourgoin captain Marc Cecillon, since when Cardiff coach Alex Evans has moved to make it even more imposing.

Out goes the potent runner Emyr Lewis, a hat-trick try scorer in last year's contest, and in comes the Neath recruit Steve Williams to lend the tail of the line more height and provide an even tighter number eight presence up front.

The injured Mike Hall gives way to Gareth Jones in midfield, but though Cardiff retain only six of last season's XV which accounted for Munster, this still leaves them with 10 internationals. Nor do they look any worse off for their summer transfer activity. The 6ft 5in, 17stone Polish flanker Gregory Kacala, described as "a bloody man-mountain" by Lewis and "the best athlete I ever seen on an international field" by Evans, has been widely hailed as the signing of the close-season.

"The players won't be under any illusions," adds Holland. "A lot of them won't have come across that type of side before. If you analyse our team on a one-to-one basis, they (Cardiff) are an extremely strong, formidable side. In terms of Ireland and Britain, I don't think you'd have a harder game than Cardiff in Cardiff."

Munster, for their part, have brought in Irish A out-half Killian Keane for Conor Burke at centre in the continuing absence of the injured Mick Lynch. It will be Keane's first full game of the season after successfully coming through two A matches since undergoing a pre-season knee cartilage operation. Another Sunday's Well man, Greg Tuohy, makes way for Ultan O'Callaghan at number eight.

This leaves Munster with only four of last year's line-up, perhaps no bad thing in itself, given ignorance is bliss in some cases. What's more, the interprovincials at least served the purpose of enabling Munster to find their best team, rectifying to some degree the lack of pace out wide. Both the back-row and the midfield seem to have a greater sense of direction and purpose with the promotion of Rhys Ellison and Alan Quinlan.

There are also clear signals that the Irish provinces have made up some ground in the fitness stakes, with all of them lasting the pace over 80 minutes discernibly better than a year ago.

With three home games to go, another competitive performance, even ending in defeat, would not be disastrous for Munster's slim playoff hopes.