Emmet Moloney writes for the 'The Irish Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

We’ve been here before. Munster are washed up. It’s over for them. Too old. Not the same team. Leinster are by far the best team in the country, etc, etc. Emmet Moloney writes...

Munster do strange things when they’re down. They find their form. They confound us. And pretty soon we are looking back on that October night and wondering if these were the same guys that have just gone on and won the Heineken Cup. It’s what they do.

Agreed, last Saturday night was a quare one. The European champions looked fantastic. Rob Kearney can’t get his place at full-back for God’s sake! And Brian O’Driscoll, in his first game of the season, took up right where he left off. They made ground every time they took the ball at Munster. In reality they cut through them.

And Sexton. What a game. If Declan Kidney needed a prompt about starting young Sexton then he got it. Unless Ronan O’Gara finds his game in a hurry, Sexton should start the autumn internationals. And that’s not to blood him; he should start on merit, as our de facto number one out-half. This lad could be something really special.

He ran over O’Gara a couple of times on Saturday, as predicted, and put in some serious hits himself. It’s been a long time since Ireland had a physical presence at number 10 (David Humphreys wasn’t the biggest either). In the modern game you need a man that can cover his channel defensively. Sexton’s size and appetite could hasten Ronan’s demise. While we won’t write him off just yet, O’Gara’s charmed existence as Ireland’s only out-half was never going to last forever. Unchallenged for years, he now has a worthy rival. Some might say better at this point in time.

John Hayes, for all his years of service and attitude on the field, can be given the benefit of the doubt. The phrase “out of character” was invented for situations like this. He will take his suspension and come back bigger and bolder (if you know what I mean).

Elsewhere, Munster’s new boys got a wake-up call. De Villiers looked like a deer in the headlights for much of the game and missed too many tackles. He wasn’t brought all the way from South Africa to be brushed off in the tackle. Expect him to step things up and remind us why the big bucks were paid. He had better because his place isn’t written in stone either.

Paul O’Connell only came on late in the game. Too late to affect the result, but not too late to affect the referee it seems, because the Munster captain spent more time talking to the ref than he did his own players. Let’s hope the focus and concentration is restored this weekend. Munster look to O’Connell in times of mini-crisis and he always delivers. Saturday evening is one of those times.
This is Heineken Cup and Munster travel to Franklin Gardens to play Northampton. On the basis of last Saturday night they are in trouble. But we know them. No team bounces back better than them. But changes have to be made. David Wallace has to come in and, dare I say it, Paul Warwick should maybe start ahead of O’Gara. Sacrilege it might be, but the evidence of last Saturday suggests O’Gara is off form and Warwick is sharp. It’s up to Tony McGahan to send the message, but if he did drop O’Gara that would tell everyone on the panel that no-one is safe.

Jerry Flannery has to start as well. Munster’s pack struggled to win any line-out ball last Saturday and when Munster can’t win their own line-out, they struggle badly. Of course the entire forward division against Leinster was pushed backwards continuously. And that was before the departure of John Hayes. A worrying sight that – a Munster scrum going backwards. But all can be rectified. The fans won’t panic. They’ve seen their team turn it around in six or seven days before. They have faith built on experience. But there is now a serious score to settle with Leinster. They have to come to Thomond at the turn of the year and that will be some night. Between now and then there is qualification for the Heineken Cup knockout stages to ensure. Both should have matters in hand before the next titanic clash.

Thankfully, Munster have an Italian club in their group, which should allow two stress-free weekends, while Leinster are heading to France, Wales and London. All of their away games come with health warnings. They are the champions and opposing supporters and teams will want to knock them off. That is the respect that comes from winning.

Heineken Cup weekends are mighty. They are great games to travel to and they are good games for the pub as well. Leinster fans will pack the RDS this weekend and see their team, who are flying right now, put London Irish to the sword.

A ticket to the Leinster European road show is becoming hotter than a seat in Thomond. The Leinster support have answered the call as well as their men on the field. Fed up with the Munster comparisons and slagging, they are now as vocal as their provincial neighbours. And they have the bragging rights.

They will beat London Irish this Friday night, but not as easily as they beat Munster. The Irish are top of the English league and are physically as strong a side as Leinster will meet this year. But at home the “Lions” are nigh on unbeatable. Those of us who thought the loss of Rocky Elsom would be felt straight away were wrong. Very wrong. The Leinster pack was exceptional the other night.

It’s shaping up well for them. They are injury free and with players like Shane Horgan and Leo Cullen showing returns to form, this is a good time to be Leinster fan. Enjoy it, lads. Who knows how long it will last.

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