By Jim Stokes BBC Sport Online

Munster's Donnacha O'Callaghan goes highest

So Munster romped to their fourth major final in three years in comfortably carving up Ulster 42-10 - a record score between the two provinces.

What a shame it was achieved in circumstances that robbed a knowledgeable Limerick crowd of the biggest showpiece in Irish rugby for years.

It was like Christmas dinner without the turkey.

In effect the turkey was taken out of the Thomond Park oven after only 11 minutes.

That meant the game was totally undercooked and it allowed Munster to do some easy stuffing.

The particular foul in question was Ulster prop Justin Fitzpatrick who continued flailing his arms after all the handbags had been closed.

That was one way of reducing the seasonal excesses. But in referee Hugh Watkins eyes it was a hanging offence. But who saw the red mist - Fitzpatrick or the Welsh official?

One cannot condone dirty play in rugby. But were Fitzpatrick's actions that serious that a referee made it a no contest so early?

Fracas

For goodness sake Fitzpatrick even hit his international team-mate Anthony Foley wearing a broad grin. He is hardly known as a smiling assassin.

He did not gouge, put the boot in, stamp, head-butt, or short-arm tackle. Nor was it a couple of cynical blows on the blindside.

Then to give Donnacha O'Callaghan, the instigator of the fracas, a yellow card, only added insult to injury.

The 10,000 souls in the cold and tense atmosphere felt that they had their pockets picked.

Ulster's Justin Fitzpatrick saw red after 11 minutes

Yes Munster fans cheered as Fitzpatrick trudged off.

But it was more in relief than anything else knowing that their beloved team now had more than a good chance to uphold their unbeaten five-year record at home.

But at least Munster learned their lesson from last season when they went down to a 14-man Leinster in the Celtic League final at Lansdowne Road.

When Eric Miller was sent off after only seven minutes, you would have put your mortgage on Munster to win.

Well, they did not. But this time they made no mistake.

We will now never know if Ulster could have achieved their goal of reversing last season's defeat at the same stage.

Munster did look the more organised at the start. But in the end produced as good a performance as one could do against a weakened team.

Tired legs

Ulster struggled in the line-out without Fitzpatrick's lifting power, and with seven forwards their scrums were at times messy.

Munster made sure Ulster could not get any continuity either with the extra man out wide in defence making sure turnovers were aplenty.

The meagre cutting edge that Ulster had going into the game, was then made even less effective on the night.

Munster were just too clinical in their execution as they moved the ball one way and then the other to final outnumber the tired legs of the Ulster cover.

Ulster did show a lot of character in the second half with at least 80 per cent of possession.

That was helped by two more yellow cards for Munster with Alan Quinlan and Frank Sheahan having separate 10-minute breaks

But Ulster had not the killer punch and were finally outscored two tries to one in the second period - each touchdown when Munster had 15 men on the park.