More challenging times ahead for Munster’s Brave and Faithful fans

Sometimes in rugby what seems like a small enough thing going wrong in the first minute actually turns out to be a tipping point. Take the penalty loose head Dennis Buckley conceded on the first play for Connacht against Edinburgh in the Pro 12 two weeks ago. It was a bad call by referee Leighton Hodges, and it gave the Scots a chance to exit immediately. Had he made the right call then Connacht would almost certainly have been three points up, with the gale-force wind behind them, and the prospect of an immediate return to enemy territory on the cards.