Machine.

South African flanker Chris Cloete made his long-awaited return to action for Munster last night in a man-of-the-match performance as they made light work of Ospreys at Musgrave Park.

The talented openside burst onto the scene last season before picking up a horrific arm injury against Cardiff in February that saw him miss the rest of the 2017/18 campaign.

Cloete’s work at the breakdown is particularly impressive, with his ability to turnover the ball up their with the best in the league. In his first five games for Munster last season he averaged a 1.2 turnovers a game, and looks set to continue where he left off based on his stats from last night.

Cloete instantly topped Munster’s turnover charts, despite missing the first two games of the season with three against Ospreys. He also made 6 carries for 25 metres, including a clean break. And to top it all off made 9 tackles – the joint highest by any Munster player.

A huge boost for Munster having this man back. Who knows how far they could have gone last season had he not got injured.