"The physicality of last week was good preparation for this Sunday," said Howard. "It wasn't an eye-catching or attractive performance, but we fought hard as a group and ground out a win. We knew Northampton had a good pack and I thought our forwards did reasonably well, but the backs were poor on the day. As the bloke who's in charge of the backs, I'm obviously disappointed and I'm sure the lads will want to turn that around. That will hopefully start with an improved performance against Munster this Sunday."
Howard appreciates that the Heineken Cup brings with it a different element of anticipation and expectation - something which he believes the players will enjoy.
"It's a different week in terms of media attention and a change of competition, but we've enjoyed it and we're looking forward to it, and I'm sure Munster are too. Hopefully both teams will repay that build-up with a great game of rugby."
There's no doubting Howard's enthusiasm ahead of what is clearly an important game for the club. The former Wallaby and Tigers centre even admits that he would relish the chance to take the pitch himself.
"I'd love to be playing," said Howard. "These are great games to be involved in. I've had a lot of good friends from Brumbies days who've played for Munster - people like John Langford and Jim Williams - and they all speak very highly of the province. It's a big occasion for everyone involved and we're all keen to do well on Sunday. I'm sure they respect us and we certainly respect them."
