Comment: A fantastic rugby year ... now let's make 2018 even better

European heroics creates real platform for Six Nations and Champions Cup success

Munster’s Simon Zebo is tackled by Valentino Mapapalangi and Mike Williams of Leicester Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Eamonn Sweeney

Wouldn't it be great if it was like this all the time? What an end to the year for Irish rugby. The clean sweep in the November internationals was impressive enough, but what's just happened in the Champions Cup seems better still.

Two weeks in December. Eight games. Eight victories. Four doubles, the victims including three of the English Premier League's top six sides. Leinster and Munster clear at the top of their Champions Cup groups, Ulster currently top of the best second place standings, Connacht with the second-best record of all teams in the Challenge Cup. The wins just kept on coming: 257 points for Irish provinces, 120 for the opposition. Twenty-six Irish tries.

Leinster's Garry Ringrose shows his determination against Tomas Francis and Matt Kvesic of Exeter on Saturday Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Yet it wasn't tries which defined the weekend's signature victories, but yellow cards. Or rather what happened after those cards had been shown. When Scott Fardy was given his 10-minute marching orders on the half-hour against Exeter that seemed to put the tin hat on it for Leinster.

The Australian's offence had been committed in a futile attempt to stop the English table-toppers driving over for a try after a line-out. Leinster were 17-3 down, they'd been played off the field, they'd lost Johnny Sexton with a head injury and had looked in utter disarray as Exeter frogmarched them over their own line. Now to top it all they were going to be a man short, having just returned to full strength after an earlier yellow card for Cian Healy.

Yet by the time Fardy returned, Leinster hadn't just stopped the rot, they'd put the visitors under sufficient pressure to force two penalties, both converted by Isa Nacewa. At 17-9 the game suddenly looked different and in the second-half Leinster patiently and painstakingly wrested back control before a try by Luke McGrath, collecting a pass from super-sub Dan Leavy, won them the game.

There was an hour gone at Welford Road when John Ryan got his yellow card, after one of those interventions we call streetwise when a player gets away with it and indiscipline when he doesn't.

The resultant penalty brought Leicester to within three points of Munster and the pendulum seemed to have swung in their direction. They'd cut Munster's lead down from 10 points as the second-half wore on and the extra man seemed sure to be crucial in a punishing physical struggle. Munster had scored 10 points without reply when the English side had a man in the bin.

Ryan's removal did prove to be a turning point, but Munster were the ones who dominated the remainder of the game. They started by spending most of their short handed spell in the Leicester half. When Ryan returned it was to a team on the front foot driving remorselessly to victory.

Those two 10-minute spells seemed to underline the difference between the top Irish sides and their highly rated cross-channel opposition. Exeter and Leicester were obviously stung by last week's reverses and flew at their erstwhile conquerors with rare intensity in the opening stages. Yet the manner in which Munster and Leinster grew as the games wore on copper-fastened the impression that they are teams of much greater substance. The sizzle came from England, but the steak was Irish.

It was the same in Belfast, where for the first half-hour Harlequins threatened to exact revenge before wilting against an Ulster side who cut them to pieces in the second-half.

Out West, Connacht were running the ball from anywhere and everywhere as they complied a half-century against Brive, the final try coming from a move resembling a Galway Arts Festival flash mob recreation of the 1973 Barbarians try against the All Blacks. In the past nine days, anything has seemed possible for Irish teams.

Now to the traditional question. Who looked better, Leinster or Munster? It would be hard to argue against Leinster. Exeter are probably the strongest side in England right now and there was something truly extraordinary about the comeback at the Aviva.

It brought back memories of the 2011 final resurrection against Northampton. With Saracens out of sorts and not even certain to make the knockout stages, Leinster deserve their new status as tournament favourites.

Yet there is something compelling about Munster. Leicester may not quite be the force of old, but this was just their third Champions Cup home defeat in a decade. It's also the first time they've lost two back-to-back matches in the cup. If Leinster are the team everyone will fear, Munster are the team no-one will want to play against.

Neither team is short of heroes. Leinster's trademark has been big contributions from unexpected quarters. There was Barry Daly's try against Montpellier and Rhys Ruddock's tour de force in Glasgow. On Saturday no-one did more to turn the tide than Leavy.

For Munster Peter O'Mahony and CJ Stander continue to lead from the front in a way which elicits memories of both Paul O'Connell and Anthony Foley in their prime.

Colossal

But over the last year no Irish players have been better than Tadhg Furlong and Conor Murray, both colossal once more this weekend. Thinking of their performances for country and province and Lions as they established themselves as the best in the world at their positions, you wonder how anyone could think James McClean had a better year.

Not to worry. Next year promises to be even better for Irish rugby. It's telling that only one English team is in a qualifying position for the quarter-finals. They'll be Brexiting big time in January.

Eddie Jones' players may be spread over a wider variety of clubs than Joe Schmidt's, but it's striking how many England internationals have been outshone in the last few weeks. We'll see how that form stands up in the Six Nations. Right now the auguries look pretty good.

Wouldn't it be great if it was like this all the time? Yes, and perhaps it will be. For the moment that 8-0 is a pretty nice Christmas present.