Munster finally take the gloves off for brace

This was still far from a heavyweight Munster performance but, in the event, a middleweight effort was still good enough. Neath were strictly lightweight.

Had they taken all their chances, Munster might have hit 50 or 60. But given where they came from going into this match, a four-try haul and some sustained passages of play represented an improvement. Where before the gloves were on, at last at Musgrave Park on Saturday, they were beginning to come off.

It's true that this has to be balanced against the standard of the opposition. Bearing in mind their fourth-best side conceded over a ton a week before, Welsh rugby is clearly in dire straits if this was the best their sixth side could produce.

You could see what their coach Lyn Jones is trying to achieve. Neath were more inclined to take quick-tap penalties, and their outhalf Matthew McCarthy (of fourth or fifth generation Irish stock) spent much of the game taking balls side on from which he popped short passes to his target runners on his inside or outside.

This was meat and drink to the Eddie Halvey-led Munster defence, and Neath made little or no impact at the point of contact.

Indeed, Neath scarcely hinted at a try until this one-dimensional ploy finally paid a dividend: prop Leighton Gerrard broke Mike O'Driscoll's tackle to score after 50 minutes. The mind boggles as to how they scored four tries in an 84point romp with Perpignan which their coach still maintained they should have won. Jones emerged from the visitors' dressing-room after throwing a proverbial wobbler to his charges and calmly congratulated Munster's pack. "They cheated very well," he said, by "slowing the game down". But, he added, this was a compliment. "I wish my team could do it."

Munster's ability to slow the game down has never been doubted, the other has of late. The 16th minute provided evidence of the latter. Alan Quinlan supplied quick ball off the top of the line which was moved on to Cian Mahony; the young inside centre took the ball on and set up a ruck a couple of yards over the gain line; a rarity in recent times.

Mahony may still be no Ellison, but his ability to take the ball on and chase the well-placed box kicks and garryowens of both halves gave his team an insidecentre presence which they've lacked heretofore.

Ditto Barry Everett at out-half. It took him just 90 seconds to make his presence felt with a long, raking diagonal kick which was just the tonic the pack needed. The change at full-back worked too, Brian Roche coming on to Neath's kicks, going solo or linking with John Kelly, and generally returning the ball with interest. He looked assured and polished, and, crucially, has pace.

The back-line was still far from fluent but with Ellison and Keane to come back into the equation they've surely still to hit their best form. Brian O'Meara looks too anxious and lacking in confidence. Accordingly, he failed to connect with not one nor two, but three try-scoring passes.

Up front there was further encouragement, most notably in the two-try performance of Mick Galwey. One memorable onehanded take of a hanging Everett drop-out by the touchline displayed his gaelic roots and athleticism, and would have done credit to Croker yesterday.

Both scores were the product of trademark close-in line-out ploys which are clearly the result of many hours on the training ground.

The scrums went well too, despite the regular rejigging of the pack which resulted in only two forwards finishing the game in the positions they started.

There was a discernible glint in Galwey's eye and those of his team-mates as they returned to the dressing-room. Hat-tricks for Shannon are old hat, but this was a first ever brace for Munster.

"I think we kind of turned a corner today," said the skipper, sounding far more upbeat than he has thus far.

The hunger was clearly evident, most notably in their effective kick-and-chase game, and prompted Jones to concede that "Munster wanted it more".

Jones regarded comparisons between Perpignan and Munster as "a good question." And, after pondering it at length, reckoned, encouragingly, that their meeting would be "very, very tight".

And as Perpignan's visit to Thomond Park coincides with a spiritual return to the refurnished venue on the 20th anniversary of the famous victory over the AllBlacks, who knows? Both domestically and on the European stage, Munster still have much to contribute. And with the meat of the season still to come, it may be no bad thing that they've yet to hit the heavyweight scales.

Scoring sequence: 6 mins: Lynch penalty, 3-0; 20: Lynch penalty, 14-0; 26:

McCarthy penalty, 14-3; 48: Lynch try, Everett conversion, 21-3; 50: Gerrard try, McCarthy conversion, 2110; 46: Lynch penalty, 24-10; 69: Galwey try, 29-10; 76: Quinlan try, 34-10.

Munster: B Roche; J Kelly, M Lynch, Cian Mahony, A Horgan; B Everett, B O'Meara; P Clohessy, M McDermott, J Hayes, M Galwey (capt), M O'Driscoll, A Quinlan, A Foley, E Halvey. Replacements: D Wallace (temp for Halvey 21-34 mins), for O'Driscoll (63 mins), I Murray for Hayes (72 mins), D Corkery for Foley (73 mins).

Neath: G Evans; D Tieuti, J Colderly, T Davies, I Jones; M McCarthy, P Horgan (capt); L Gerrard, M Davies, M Morgan, M Turner, A Jackson, S Martin, R Jones, B Sinkinston. Replacements: D Jones for Morgan, R Francis for R Jones, G Newman for Jackson.

Referee: J Jutge (France).