At least Connacht won't have to look at Brian O'Driscoll, their tormentor-in-chief when these sides met earlier in the season, in today's Guinness interprovincial clash with Leinster at the Sportsground. A pulled hamstring has sidelined the young international centre who denied Connacht the win with a wonderful piece of opportunism in injury time.
Leinster's 22-19 success was pilfered straight from their opponent's back pocket: Connacht should be smarting or more practically smarter when the two sides meet today. A pronounced improvement from the debacle of their early season performances has propelled Glenn Ross's charges in the right direction, albeit without the more tangible reward of a victory.
Connacht boasts a pack that will compete - props Martin Cahill and John Maher should enjoy plenty of ball carrying duty - and in their centre Mel Deane they have a player of promise. Their three-quarter line may lack the pace and finesse of their Leinster opponents, but they will be able to find the try line given the opportunity. Therein lies the crux for Connacht: will it be a Leinster team of Jeckyls or Hydes that turns up at the Sportsground?
Mike Ruddock's team has made underachievement an art form this season and the patience of Branch officials and supporters alike is beginning to wear thin. While acknowledging the absence of Trevor Brennan, Girvan Dempsey, Mark McHugh and O'Driscoll, Leinster still has plenty of talent.
The job of marshalling and directing what has been a disjointed bunch to date has been handed to open side flanker Liam Toland. He spoke this week of the need for clarity of purpose and mental strength and if he can infuse both qualities then the province can win today.
Assuming that their pack competes in a committed manner, the pivotal area for Leinster is their halfbacks, Derek Hegarty and Barry Everitt.
Leinster need a more fluent, less cautious approach and Everitt's performance is central to the well-being of the team. In previous games his decision-making has been seriously flawed and another substandard performance would see him jettisoned. The visitors should be able to secure a platform in terms of possession and therefore victory rests on their ability to use the ball. If Toland has managed to focus their collective minds then Leinster can return home with the points.
Conor McGuinness will undergo a second operation on his arthritic left big toe and will also have a steel plate inserted in both his regular footwear and his rugby boot in a bid to salvage his playing career. The St Mary's, Connacht and Irish scrum-half admits these measures are "a last resort" following operations on both big toes already, the second of which on his more troublesome left foot ruled him out of last summer's tour to Australia.
CONNACHT: S Allnutt; M Mostyn, M Murphy, M Deane, P Duignan; E Elwood (capt), S McIvor; J Maher, S McDonald, M Cahill, M McConnell, G Webster, C Rigney, M Steffert, E Brennan.
LEINSTER: G D'Arcy; J McWeeney, P McKenna, S Horgan, D Hickie; B Everitt, D Hegarty; R Corrigan, S Byrne, A McKeen, B Casey, M O'Kelly, D O'Brien, V Costello, L Toland (capt).
