KEY POINTS:
The Munstermen are gathering, although Limerick is a city in mourning after the slaying of popular club player Shane Geoghegan who was due to attend the anniversary match of the province's 12-0 victory over Graham Mourie's men 30 years ago.
All the festivities had been planned and All Black legend Jonah Lomu will switch on the Christmas lights in the city centre next week. It all seems a bit out of kilter now.
While those of us in Dublin have been insulated from the distress and misery of events 196km away, you cannot avoid the pain of those in Limerick whose views have been transported through the media.
But Limerick and Munster will have to move on, and maybe the arrival of the All Blacks and the official opening of a redeveloped Thomond Park will give some succour to those whose lives have been wrecked forever by Geoghegan's gangland slaying.
It was going to be a few days of endless Guinness, reunions, emotion and trips down memory lane to that day in October 1978 when Munster became the only Irish side to achieve a victory against the All Blacks.
Those deeds have been portrayed in a successful play, Alone It Stands by John Breen, while the area lauds their yesteryear heroes like Moss Keane, Tom Kiernan, Donal Lenihan, Keith Wood and Tony Ward.
All was bubbling towards a few days of merry magic until the gangland slaying. The pall can be felt in Dublin and there will be a minute's silence tomorrow at Croke Park for the victim, his relatives, friends and Limerick.
New Zealand Rugby Union president Andy Leslie made the lengthy round trip to Geoghegan's funeral to underscore both the sympathy and connection with the slaying.
Next week's match is a sellout, the 26,500 crowd will be boisterous and there will be plenty of interest in the opposition if Kiwis like Doug Howlett, Lifeimi Mafi, Rua Tipoki and Nick Williams are all involved. While he may not have reached the heights of his glorious All Black career at Munster, they still talk about the way Christian Cullen moved when his injuries allowed.
It will be much the same next week. The match will be a celebration and will also be a night when those who attend will remember the waste of life and will pledge new efforts towards ridding Limerick of its gangland element.
For Breen, it may be a chance to write a new play about this week's events which would be both a reminder and at the same time a beacon for a better future for the area.
