Kelly, then 25, recalled a September team meeting in Belfast before an interprovincial clash with Ulster. “There’s no doubt having somebody like Keith Wood coming into your team really gave us a boost. “When he came in and said that to us, I think it stuck with us, at least it stuck with me anyway, that team meeting. I think it was a moment of realisation for a lot of us that we were a really good team.”That belief would carry Munster a long way, the subsequent 25-24 win at Ulster the first of many milestones, all against expectation. “That was probably the first time we played against Stade and we got them a good few times over the following years,” Kelly said.

Source: Irish Examiner April 15, 2020 04:52 UTC