In this weekly column in the Irish Independent, Tony Ward assesses the form of Ireland’s finest ahead of Declan Kidney’s squad announcement for the autumn internationals.
"Although not officially tagged the 'back door' route, Irish teams - and Munster in particular - may yet thank their lucky stars at the timing of the new play-off system when the business end of the Magners League marathon comes around.
"Like Shannon being consistently in the top four of the AIB League over the years, you know that, once Munster are in the frame, they're going to be extremely difficult to shake off.
"It is still early days, yet a third of the Magners League and Heineken Cup pool games have been played. An assessment of Irish form in domestic and European competition would suggest that, at best, it has been hit and miss."
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