Nor did it help that both sides were deprived of several leading players because of Munster A’s involvement in a Celtic Cup match against Dragons A on the same evening.

All of this and many other slights levelled at the Munster Cup in recent years leaves enthusiasts to wonder whether the death knell of a competition that was once the life-blood of the game in the province from its foundation in 1886 up to the early 1990s should be sounded.

The cup lost some of its lustre with the arrival of the All-Ireland League in 1990 when clubs turned their attention to the new competition. The situation worsened with the advent of professionalism in 1995, some clubs withdrawing altogether!

That being the case, the Munster Cup never had a chance and many regard the quarter-final games this weekend merely as preparation for the clubs before they go into AIL action over the coming weeks.

Should the Munster Branch take responsibility for allowing such a turn of events to take place or is it all at the door of the clubs?

“The reality is that the clubs are concerned with their senior status and that is their priority,” argues Munster Branch President Ger Malone.

“This year we made an effort to revitalise the cup by seeding the big guns so that there wouldn’t be any 50 point scorelines in the first few rounds and to be fair I think we have seen some fine games over the past couple of weeks.

“Also, when you take the AIL, PRO14, European Cup, Internationals and so on into consideration, there aren’t as many available weekends as you might think. As for allowing the cup to fade away, I say no, no, no. It has been there for 130 years and served the game well. They have the same problem in Ulster and Leinster (with their cup competitions). No, the so-called demise of the Munster Cup is a long way off.

“Yes, the optics are not great and we understand that. The priority with the clubs is the AIL for a variety of reasons. It remains to be seen if the restructuring of the cup will have the desired effect - that’s up to the clubs and how they react.”

Cork Constitution could hardly be accused of paying lip service to the Munster Cup given they won it five years in a row from 2012/13 to 2016/17. This year’s President, John O’Mahony, father of Munster, Ireland and Lions captain Peter, represents a view with which the majority of club members throughout the province will empathise.

“I am of that age where the Munster Cup was the Blue Riband of the game and I would like very much like if it still held that status,” he stressed.

“When Brian Hickey, the most successful coach in the club game in this country, and many other highly respected coaches believe that should be the case, there can be little argument as to its value. And when you see the delight on the faces of players after they have won the cup, you see clearly what it means to them. Winning the cup also gave us access to fantastic competitions like the Bateman Cup.

“While I cannot envisage a day when we won’t have the Munster Cup or the AIL, I’m not that impressed by the recent changes introduced by the Branch to the structure of the cup. The allure of games between the likes of Con or Garryowen against some of the lesser lights has been removed and we would also like to hear more from the IRFU about where they see the future of the club game in this country. I strongly believe in the club game.”

The Munster Cup knockers should have been at Rosbrien last Saturday when AIL Division 2 A sides Old Crescent and Highfield produced a terrific game of rugby, full of passions and skill. The Cork side prevailed in a nine-try thriller by 29-24 and there to see them do so was Mick Leahy, the captain when Field last won the title all of 50 years ago!

Can a competition so rich in that kind of romance and tradition and replete with a myriad of wonderful players and characters be allowed to fade away? Here’s one old timer who hopes to never see such a sad day.