TEN POINTS DOWN at half-time, but a man up.

Game on, right?

For Munster away to Stade Francais tonight it seemed that way, but not for very long.

By the 67th minute, the French scrum had laid down several psychological and physical markers and Morne Steyn had extended the advantage to 13 points.

A difficult deficit, but not an insurmountable one… until this happened.

That’s five players beaten after what looked like a routine carry off slow ball. CJ Stander, Ian Keatley and Dave Foley were given a pat before being waved goodbye and Keith Earl wass left for dead by a side-step. All that from a 20-year-old blindside flanker.

Take a bow, Sekou Macalou. But Irish teams should have been well-warned about his ability to bat away and out pace his opponents, against Ireland Under 20s last year he stormed past outside backs from his own half.

We shudder to think what this kid might be like when he reaches his prime.

Alan Quinlan’s verdict after Munster’s awful night in Paris: ‘embarrassing, borderline disgraceful’