Celtic League: In contrast to Leinster's apparent rude health, Munster seem almost to be hobbling toward the eagerly anticipated rendezvous on Sunday week.
In the more immediate term five frontline players, including three of the XV that started against Perpignan, have been omitted from the Munster squad for this Saturday's Celtic League tie against fellow title contenders Edinburgh Reivers at Thomond Park.
Of those, Marcus Horan would appear to be the main concern and the one most at risk of not recovering in time for the Leinster match, having sustained a slight tear to a calf muscle during scrummaging practice before the Heineken European Cup quarter-final against Perpignan.
"As Marcus was on crutches we thought it was best to keep him off his feet as long as possible, so he's weight bearing this week, and we'll scan him later this week and see how he goes," said Declan Kidney after training in Thomond Park yesterday.
Asked if he was concerned about Horan's injury with a view to the game against Leinster, Kidney commented: "You'd be concerned about any injury but I know everything that can be done is being done."
Denis Leamy's buffeted ankle, injured initially against England and then again against Perpignan, appears to be faring better.
"Denis has made good progress and is training away," said the Munster coach. "We just felt it was prudent that he didn't do contact in this part of the week and we'll just take a judgement again."
Ronan O'Gara is also set to miss back-to-back league matches because of the gash below the knee he suffered against Perpignan.
"Ronan's infection has cleared up and he'll be getting back into the swing of things after finishing a heavy enough dose of antibiotics over the last seven days," said Kidney, who dismissed reports the infection might have been caused by one of the controversial "blade" wounds that have become common this season. He also said O'Gara's enforced rest had helped his hamstring strain.
"I think he has every chance of being fit for the following week."
The Munster coach also said O'Gara's understudy, Jeremy Manning, did not suffer concussion when forced to withdraw during the first half of the defeat to the Dragons last Friday.
"He trained today but we kept him out of contact because that was the prudent thing to do," said Kidney, who maintained Manning ought not be ruled out of the Leinster match.
Christian Cullen is running again, if "not at full gallop" following his strained hamstring and "hasn't been ruled out of next week". But without a start this season, the former All Black looks at best an option for the bench against Leinster.
Much attention has understandably focused on what has been Munster's problem position of outside centre, since Barry Murphy, having been something of a saviour in their campaign, was cruelly sidelined for the remainder of the season at least.
It would appear the Munster brains trust will persist with Tomás O'Leary in the number 13 jersey, albeit with John Kelly stepping into the outside-centre role in defence, as he did in last week's defeat to the Dragons.
When pressed on this, Kidney was classically non-committal.
"We have a number of guys who can play there and it's a case of picking the best option at any given time. We know that Gary (Connolly) has come in and done a good job, Tomás has done a good job, we had Denis (Leamy) there; we've had a number of different people there. In the matches they've played in they would have been seen as experiments but we haven't done badly in them. We'll pick the best person for the day."
Helpfully, Mike Mullins and Rob Henderson played 60 and 80 minutes of a match between Old Crescent and Garryowen last weekend, but this weekend and the ensuing Leinster match look to have come too soon for Mullins, while Henderson might be seen to duplicate Trevor Halstead as opposed to providing a viable option at outside centre.
The Dragons game, Munster's third league defeat in a row, has left them with little room for manoeuvre; Kidney reckons five wins out of five and a favour or two elsewhere will be required for them to win the league and thereby, just as pertinently, secure top seeding.
Under ERC's revised ranking system, regardless of European Cup performances, the leading Irish side in the league will secure that top seeding for next season's European draw and thereby avoid top seeds from England, France, Wales and Scotland.
"That would have potentially huge consequences for the (European) draw and that's not a position you would want to leave yourself in," said Kidney.
"It has huge ramifications which has not got the publicity it deserves," he added, warming to his theme, "and the people who have gone to the Premiership from Ireland have said that the Celtic League is a physically tougher competition, and also there are two teams from the Celtic League in the semi-finals of the European Cup. The French and the English have top four (play-offs) whereas we have a winner takes all."
With next season in mind, Munster look set for an unusually high turnover in personnel over the close season, albeit more to the squad than the nominal starting XV. In addition to the Leinster-bound duo of Trevor Hogan and Stephen Keogh, Mullins is set to return to New Zealand and a coaching position in North Otago, Henderson is set to retire and scrumhalf Frank Murphy is bound for Leicester.
