TV View: Granted, we're only casual observers of the less-than-expert variety, so we're hardly in a position to judge these things, but after the weekend we're beginning to wonder if Irish rugby should start assuming it should always come out on top, because, evidently, the natural order in rugby is that Ireland are the greatest. It's probably down to our upbringing.

It's all right for us, of course, to be so brash, but it wouldn't do for one of our players to make such an assured declaration, otherwise there'd be a whole heap of fuss and the likes of Lawrence Dallaglio would get upset. But what other conclusion could you draw after Ulster, Leinster and Munster's conquests?

The RTÉ boys were positively ecstatic on Saturday night's highlights, and that was even before Munster saw action. Well, two of them were.

"Leinster just looked unbeatable," swooned Brent Pope, with Tom McGurk purring in concurrence.

"Aaaaaaah nooooooo, Brent, be faaaaaaaaair," said, you know.

Brent shuffled in his chair, "here we go", he said to himself, "we're up and running".

"Mr Berdos, the referee, was awwwwwwwwwful," said George Hook, for indeed 'twas he. "His errors were in double figures, and most of them were against Gloucester. He contributed huuuuuuugely to Leinster's victory. Two of Leinster's tries were of the fluke nature, the two Gloucester tries were outstaaaaaaaaanding."

Tom and Brent were befuddled, the former accusing George of looking depressed when he'd have been celebrating a 37-20 Leinster win over Gloucester "all night four or five years ago". (And, as Sky Sports' Mark Robson had said of one particular department of the Gloucester team, "there's a front row I wouldn't like to be playing conkers against.")

"I haven't seen you in five months and you still come out with the same outrageous stuff, 'they hockeyed Gloucester'," scoffed George.

So, it's as you were. When George accused Tom of trying to bite his head off, Tom protested his innocence. "Would I bite your head off? My mouth isn't big enough," he said.

In fairness, Tom was big enough to plug the lads' new show, The Heineken Cup Roadshow with Hook and Pope, even complimenting them by comparing them to Podge and Rodge. Which was Podge and which was Rodge, he didn't say.

He then mumbled something about North Korea's nuclear weapons. Whether he was hoping they would be targeted at Blackrock College this week, when George and Brent drop in to host their show, we couldn't be sure, but we'll trust that rugby's Podge and Rodge are low enough on Kim Jong-il's hit-list. Although, you wouldn't know.

There was just time for George to give us his prediction for Munster's European Cup opener. "I don't think they will win tomorrow, they're going to Leicester, for cryyyyyyyyyying out loud," he said.

So Munster won. As Stuart Barnes put it when Ronan O'Gara put over that winning penalty: "What. Can. You. Say?"

Back in the studio, a beaming Paul Wallace, who'd had the rather unusual pleasure of analysing his brother's try earlier on, attempted to dampen talk of the "Leicester were the better team" kind by noting "Munster didn't throw many punches, but when they did they hurt".

So, as one set of champions opened their campaign with a win, beating Leicester, for cryyyyyyyyyying out loud, another champion bid adieu. Michael Schumacher, that is.

Before his final race (unless he does a Frank Sinatra and unretires regularly), the Brazilian Grand Prix, Schumacher was presented at the front of the grid with a very large trophy by none other than Pele. The idea seemed to be that all the other drivers would gather around for the presentation as a tribute to the man none of them like much but whom most concede (through gritted teeth) was a bit good.

On his return back down the grid after the presentation, ITV's Martin Brundle spotted McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen loitering beside a wall. Had, we asked ourselves, Kimi been too emotional to attend the au revoir to Michael?

Brundle: "Kimi, you missed the presentation with Michael and Pele - will you get over it?"

Raikkonen: "Yeah. I was having a shit."

Brundle: "Well, you'll have a nice light car, then. Thank you Kimi."

"There is an extraordinary atmosphere down there," said Steve Rider back in the studio, "and Kimi has already given us a moment to remember."

Indeed he did. If he keeps up that class of talk he'll find himself a guest on Podge and Rodge's show any day soon. Not the rowdy and peculiar looking Podge and Rodge, one of whom occasionally offends, resulting in the Montrose switchboard lighting up, we mean the puppets.