IN a week that saw the Champions Cup final between Leinster and La Rochelle dominate the sporting headlines, the focus now turns to the URC clash that might be the catalyst to resuscitate Munster Rugby.

After an incredible game in Dublin last weekend that saw both sets of players give every ounce of their being for the jersey they wore, it was a travesty that a stupid altercation that took place at halftime turned into such a major talking point. For as long as I’ve been watching rugby I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more punishing game and it just kills me when the onfield activities are overshadowed.

I’m not sure if it is possible to register the intensity of the collisions or the level of honesty displayed by every player but it could probably only be replicated by a parent protecting one of their siblings from a ferocious pitbull.

The most telling image of the day came just after the final whistle when the camera zoomed in on World Player of the Year Josh Van Der Flier who was seen holding his head in his hands and bursting into a waterfall of uncontrollable tears. It renewed my faith in the game and indicated that passion and pain still play a major role in the modern era.

Now it's Munster’s turn to show their appetite for glory.

For a while, we feared Peter O’Mahony and his players were not even going to make the playoffs. After some really creditable performances in the closing stages of the league, they managed to clamber their way up the table to finish in fifth spot.

THE HARD WAY

It meant if they were going to make the final they would have to do it the hard way. 

And that’s exactly what they did.

An away win at Glasgow, a one-point victory over a now trophyless Leinster and a third trip to South Africa in two months to play against last year's winners.

Let there be little doubt about it that Munster will go into Saturday's final as underdogs and will need to call on all their experience if they are going to trouble Stormers.

One of the major plusses for Graham Rowntree is that his players have already beaten the Stormers in South Africa and the belief in his squad is currently very high. 

That victory ended the Stormers' 16-month winning streak at home and their coach John Dobson was furious after. 

Since then Dobson has wasted no time in stoking the fire and taking aim at Munster for what he called ‘cheap shots’. Criticising O’Mahony and Snyman, he vowed that his team are hurting and will be ready for anything Munster throw at them this time around.

Rowntree who will be concluding his first year as Munster’s top man seems to be propelling his players in the right direction. With RG Snyman, Conor Murray, Malakai Fekitoa and Calvin Nash all back from injury and fit for selection, Munster have the necessary firepower to end their 13-year trophy drought.

The one area that I would worry about for Munster is at scrum time.

I have no issues with Munster’s starting trio however, I do feel that Stormers' front-row replacements are considerably stronger; come the 60-minute mark, the hosts will target the likes of Roman Salanoa.

Considering where Munster found themselves in the middle of the season, it is something of a miracle that they have reached this final. 

Only the very brave or very foolish would have bet money on them to be still active at this point and in many respects, the underdog tag suits them perfectly.

I’m not sure if Munster have the complete game to beat this very motivated Stormers side but I am certain South African rugby is not what it used be. Now teams are able to match them physically, they are becoming more and more frustrated because they are unable to overpower their opponents.

There will be no video review on Monday after this game, so it’s imperative that the Munster players take the same approach that the Leinster and La Rochelle players took when it came to putting their bodies on the line.

To see Peter O’Mahony lifting a trophy is long overdue.