Munster may be climbing the rungs on the BKT United Rugby Championship league ladder after their 29-8 victory against the Scarlets last Saturday, but RTÉ analyst Darren Cave believes recapturing their glory days and truly rivalling or surpassing Leinster remains a long way off.
That Thomond Park success marked consecutive back-to-back bonus-point wins for the province, but Cave was sceptical on their ability to challenge for top honours when quizzed on RTÉ2's Against The Head.
"I don't think in the short to medium-term that's achievable for Munster Rugby," Cave said.
The former Ulster stalwart added: "The only thing Munster and Leinster have in common is a map, how close they are on a map.
"I don't see what it is about Munster Rugby that they're going to catch Leinster.
"Commercially, the club is in a worse place. The academy, off the back of the school system... We see with Leinster, it's a cycle. You get stronger, you get more games at Croke Park, you get better players.
"Whereas Munster, they're not a bad club, they're a good club. But I look at them now, fifth in the table, and I think that's about right for Munster.
"I don't think Munster are a team that should be anywhere near a Champions Cup semi-final."
While for the Munster fans, their halcyon days may be disappearing in the rearview mirror, fellow pundit Bernard Jackman clearly subscribes to the Browning quote that a man's reach should exceed his grasp.
"The day they drop their aspirations, they're finished," Jackman opined. "Munster, the great team of the noughties, they left their legacy, and that's created a level of hope and expectation.
"They might be on a downward cycle now, they might be messing around in fifth and in the last 16 of the Champions Cup, but the ambition has to be to be back winning European Cups again, and I think it is there."
However, the former Ireland hooker cited Munster's problems in attracting and retaining personnel as a major hurdle, with Connacht and Ulster in the same boat, and added: "At the moment, who in Irish rugby, bar Leinster fans, are happy about the fact the other three provinces look like they aren't equipped for success?
"I certainly don't think it's a long-term way of acting."
Bernard Jackman on the tough hiring environment Munster could find themselves at the end of the season if they opt to look externally for a new head coach. #RTESport #AgainstTheHead pic.twitter.com/lNEDOugMk9
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 17, 2025
Player personnel aside, events elsewhere could conspire against Munster sourcing top managerial talent, should the province look externally for a long-term replacement for former head coach Graham Rowntree.
"The Leicester job is up," Jackman said. "Michael Cheika is not going to stay on. The Welsh job is up. Two jobs in Wales – a coach and a director of rugby. There is a rumour that Gregor Townsend in the summer will leave Scotland. That will open up a job with Scotland, which might open up a very good club job.
"Effectively, I think, by waiting they're making it harder to find that right candidate."
