Munster began the new campaign in magnificent fashion at Thomond Park last night when a crowd in the region of 3,000 delighted in watching them beat English Premier Division side London Wasps by 35-5.

Even though the heavy mist and one shower militated against open rugby, Munster's exciting combination of youth and experience proved too much for a visiting side that contained a number of prominent players including the former All Black prop Craig Dowd and the former Lions second row Simon Shaw.

Both came in as replacements in the second half but Shaw wasn't long on the pitch when he was yellow-carded by referee Allen Lewis for a dangerous high tackle on Munster scrumhalf Peter Stringer.

Jeremy Staunton kicked two early penalties for Munster before Wasps had their own score, a try by winger John Rudd after 20 minutes.

Almost immediately, however, Alan Quinlan stretched Munster's lead with a try that Staunton converted and the gap widened even further on the stroke of half-time when Conor Mahony went over for another try which Staunton again converted to put Munster 23-5 ahead at the interval.

Early in the second half, Staunton notched another Munster try which he converted himself to bring his personal total to 20 points and his only miss of the evening was a failed conversion attempt of another try by Quinlan.

Meanwhile, St Helen's hooker Keiron Cunningham has rejected a switch to rugby union. Cunningham had been expected to accept a lucrative offer to join Welsh union club Swansea in a move partly financed by the Welsh Rugby Union.

And Wigan centre Paul Johnson is poised to follow Cunningham's lead. The 22-year-old told the Wigan Evening Post he intends to resign for the Warriors despite the offer of a four-year deal from Gloucester.

Munster: J Staunton; J O 'Neill, J Kelly, C Mahony, A Horgan; J Holland, P Stringer; P CLohessy, F Sheehan, J O'Driscoll, M O'Driscoll, D O'Callaghan, D Leamy, A Quinlan, D Bowles. Replacements: D Clohesssy, for J O'Driscoll, J Fogarty for Sheehan, A Hickey for Quinlan, F Murphy for Stringer, C O'Sullivan for Mahony, M Lawlor for Kelly.

London Wasps: A Robson; S Roiser, F Waters, M Denney, J Rudd; A King, H Bijon; A McKenzie, D Macer, D Molloy, R Berkett, J Beardshaw, J Worsley, M Lock, P Scrivener, Replacements M Leek, for Rudd, C Dowd for McKensie, S Shaw for Berkett.

Referee: A Lewis (Leinster)