On Rugby: As important a barometer of Irish rugby's well-being as the results of the international team are the performances of the provinces in Europe, writes Gerry Thornley

History shows us that Ulster's European Cup win in 1999 and, perhaps even more so - given they provided more input into the Irish team as a result - Munster's trek to the 2000 final, kickstarted the rejuvenation in Irish rugby at the turn of the Millennium following the Noughty Nineties.

In every year since, Munster and sometimes Leinster have reached the quarter-finals or further. It has been the platform for much of the feelgood factor which has underpinned Irish rugby in the last half-dozen years. Aside from glibly stating the ambition of an Irish province winning the European in their strategic plan, the IRFU would do well to remember this.

After an especially grim November programme of Test matches, arguably the grimmest since the 63-15 thrashing by the All Blacks was followed by the pre-Christmas defeat in Bologna in 1997, and mindful of the slightly daunting Test programme ahead, the need for a restorative shot-in-the-arm courtesy of the provinces has never looked so acute.

Yet, it seems, rarely has this badly needed pick-me-up ever looked as problematic. After the opening two rounds of matches in October, all three Heineken European Cup contestants stand precariously placed with one win and one defeat apiece. In the six years since the competition comprised 24 teams, and six pools of four, there has always been at least one Irish side with two wins from two at this juncture.

Leinster have been two wins from two for each of the last four seasons, while Munster have bagged two wins from the opening couple of games in five of the last six seasons. Four years ago, all three had a brace of victories apiece after two rounds, with Munster and Leinster both reaching the quarter-finals and Ulster only missing out on points' difference.

There are probably eminently practical reasons for the provinces often obtaining good starts. Until the November international programme kicks in, they generally have an uninterrupted run of games with their full playing pool and go into the October rounds in prime nick. Thereafter, such has been the drain on Munster and Leinster (with Ulster now feeling the pinch too), that they are more affected than most, save for the elite English and French sides and, latterly, Llanelli or the Ospreys.

However, now the toil and trouble starts for the provinces, and while back-to-back wins over the same opponents (Ulster meet Saracens, Munster face the Dragons, while Leinster play Bourgoin) are badly needed, history also shows us that they are increasingly hard to come by.

In the last three seasons, only 17 of the 36 repeat match-ups yielded back-to-back wins for one side. Take out the Italians and the ratio drops even more, to 13 out of 30.

In the six seasons of these back-to-back fixtures, never before have all three provinces recorded double wins, and only twice did two of them even manage it.

Fortunately, the provinces haven't taken too many autumn hits in terms of their Irish personnel, but they'll have been a drain. Henceforth, if anything, the schedule for the frontline troops seems harder than ever.

Following these pivotal European Cup rounds, a home-based Irish squad of 25 will immediately embark on Sunday, December 18th for a five-day warm weather training camp in Lanzarote, which concludes on December 22nd.

The four provinces then meet each other twice between St Stephen's Day and New Year's Eve, and to compound their lack of rest over the festive period, the frontline Irish squad then embark on a four-day training camp in Dublin from January 1st to 4th. Needless to say, there was no consultation with the Irish Rugby Union Players Association about this and it was presented as a fait accompli to the provinces.

After this faintly ridiculous schedule, the provinces have a round of Celtic League matches on the first weekend in January before the potential decisive fifth and sixth rounds of the European Cup. Whereupon they effectively return to camp with Team Ireland (a 35-man squad hooks up on Sunday, January 22nd) for eight weeks, God bless 'em, in contrast to their English and French counterparts, who return to their clubs and their homes in the idle weeks of the Six Nations. Is it perhaps any wonder that both Munster and, more meekly, Leinster, went out in the quarter-finals last season?

Were any of the provinces fortunate enough to reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup, that will come a fortnight after the conclusion of the Six Nations - so, inevitably, any province(s) involved would feel compelled to play as much of their frontline team as is humanely possibly, even though a week's respite will never have seemed more appropriate.

By the by, there'll be an end-of-season tour to New Zealand (two matches) and Australia, as well as three games for Ireland A in the Churchill Cup in America (including a rendezvous with the New Zealand Maoris), thereby keeping over 50 players busy until near the end of June. The A squad will be expected to resume action in the Celtic League on the first weekend of September, just 10 weeks later.

There are basic employment issues here, and the needs of athletes just to switch off mentally and have quality time away from the game with families and friends. Looking at this schedule, it is hard to imagine many employees who have it tougher over the next few months.

The IRFU state they look after their players, and they want an Irish team to win the European Cup? They could be doing more to prove it.