Heading into this afternoon's Champions Cup clash against Wasps, the buildup was dominated by question about how Munster's untested youngsters would deal with playing in a fixture at the highest level.
After all, a number of young players were set to make their first team debuts in the game due to the province's recent issues relating to the trip to South Africa. It was said that a win in this game would be up there with the best results in Munster history.
Of course, things would turn out a bit differently.
News would emerge just before kick-off that Wasps had been hit with covid issues of their own, with five players named in the matchday squad yesterday forced to withdraw. They were also missing a huge numbers of players due to injury.
Still, this looked like a very difficult test for Munster.
They would perform brilliantly, capitalising on the early red card for Wasps captain Brad Shields to eventually emerge as 35-14 bonus point winners. Even more impressively, a number of those aforementioned young players caught the eye with their performances.
The try of the night came via Patrick Campbell.
A 19-year old making his debut for the senior side, you could have forgiven him if he got overwhelmed by the occasion. There was never a chance of that, with the fullback showing a real killer instinct to finish off a good team move.
Patrick Campbell scores on debut for @Munsterrugby 🤩
1⃣9⃣ years old and a European try scorer 👏👏#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/sMROVtxTSa— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) December 12, 2021
He wasn't the only one to catch the eye.
21-year old Scott Bukley would be named man-of-the-match for his effort on his European debut, also crossing the line for a try of his own.
His reaction as his name was ready out over the stadium tannoy told you everything you needed to know about what it meant to him.
Christmas has come early for Scott Buckley 🎄
And that smile from the 21-year-old @Munsterrugby hooker sums it up 😁#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/gY5rap5JtD— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) December 12, 2021
People have criticised the production line in the province in recent times, but this game was evidence that there is no shortage of talent coming through down south.
As Donnacha O'Callaghan said on BT Sport commentary, this was a great day for Munster rugby.
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