Another Friday night and another chance for Munster to break yet more new ground. It's still scarcely credible that Munster only secured their first back-to-back Guinness Interprovincial titles last season, but victory tonight against Ulster (Musgrave Park, 7.30, live on TG4) will ensure them of a third on the spin before re-entering the European fray a week hence.
The game is given added resonance by the remarkable century landmark which Mick Galwey will achieve in a Munster jersey tonight. The captain, wary that this might distract from the main task in hand, would prefer the trademan's entrance thanks very much, but as he will be leading his troops out to what should be an almighty roar for him and Munster alike, it'll be the red carpet treatment for a legend.
Still you can see why Galwey is the reluctant hero, given an anti-climactic defeat will sour the occasion altogether. And as much as Ulster are "up" for this game after possibly turning a significant corner with victory over Leinster last week, there's a palpable apprehension in Munster's ranks about this fixture.
No one knows better than Galwey how Ulster once lorded it over Munster in the interprovincial series and his direct counterpart, Paddy Johns, will be a reminder of that, for the career paths of the two old warriors have been virtually in tandem since both made their Irish A debuts away to Scotland in 1989 - Johns leaving the bench to replace Galwey in that 22-22 draw.
It says everything about Munster's recent upsurge that, having achieved a landmark four-in-a-row over Leinster, a win tonight would yield a first ever four-timer over Ulster. But Declan Kidney knows full well that this sequence will only have wounded the pride of Harry Williams and his players.
"We know each other so well, and if you look back at our opening win in Ravenhill our kicks went over and a couple of theirs didn't," says Kidney who outlines a near identikit formguide since, save for Ulster's handier win and bonus point away to Connacht. There lurks all the while a fear that Ulster and Leinster could yet edge Munster out of the top two.
It's undoubtedly a worst-case scenario which Munster supporters will hardly countenance. Yet another tight game, as Kidney envisages, with try-scoring chances at a premium, would be entirely in keeping with this season's formguide. Both sides have scored eight tries in four games, Ulster conceding four to Munster's five.
Both are adept at suffocating the opposition by pushing up aggressively in an impenetrable line. As with the grizzled Galwey
????Johns head-to-head, intriguing match-ups occur across the pitch, and it could all come down to one big play by David Wallace or Andy Ward, or perhaps from either of the country's top outhalves, Ronan O'Gara and David Humphreys.
There seems little prospect of one side lording it over the other in any department. If anything Ulster, having used 17 players in their starting line-up and only 19 (compared to Munster's 25) in total so far, are the more settled side. What's more, significantly, without the injured John Langford and the departed Eddie Halvey, Munster are less equipped to maintain their recent lineout supremacy in this fixture.
Surely Munster cannot go on forever extricating themselves from tight clinches? However they have the capacity to crank up the tempo and recycle it quicker, especially out wide. And even in a close final quarter with the outcome still on the line, as Brendan Foster said of Haile Gebrselaisse, "when you know how to win, you don't know how to lose". All the more so in one of your own back yards.
MUNSTER: D Crotty; J Kelly, M Mullins, J Holland, AN Other; R O'Gara, P Stringer; P Clohessy, F Sheahan, J Hayes, M Galwey, M O'Driscoll, AN Other, A Foley, D Wallace. Replace- ments: M Horan, J Fogarty, T Tierney, C McMahon, J Staunton, AN Other, AN Other.
ULSTER: G Henderson; J Topping, R Constable, J Bell, S Stewart; D Humphreys (capt), B Free; J Fitzpatrick, R Weir, S Best, P Johns, G Longwell, R Nelson, T McWhirter, A Ward. Replacements: S Bell, N Malone, S Coulter, C Boyd, P Shields, M Blair, D Topping.
Referee: Alain Rolland (IRFU).
Overall interprovincial meetings: Played 57 - Munster 16 wins, 8 draws, Ulster 33 wins.
Last five meetings - (1998-99): Ulster 29 Munster 12, Munster 31 Ulster 9; (1999-2000): Ulster 24 Munster 25, Munster 36 Ulster 19; (2000-01): Ulster 16 Munster 21. Last five interprovincials: Munster - W W W W W; Ulster L L W L W.
Leading try scorers: Munster - David Wallace 2; Ulster - James Topping, Andy Ward 2 each.
Leading points scorers: Munster - Ronan O'Gara 41; Ulster - David Humphreys 47.
Odds (Paddy Powers): 4/11 Munster, 16/1 draw, 7/4 Ulster. Handicap odds (= Ulster +7pts) 10/11 Munster, 20/1 draw, 10/11 Ulster.
Forecast: Munster to win.
