RUGBY/Munster v Leinster :Christmas cabin fever having set in, Thomond Park might be near to capacity if Munster played host to 15 mannequins today. But the prospect of the latest instalment in the enthralling Munster-Leinster rivalry ensured this would be one of the most eagerly anticipated full houses of the season.
What's seldom could be wonderful.
With Munster deciding to grant this fixture a rare outing in their Limerick citadel, Leinster will thus make their first visit to Thomond Park since a 19-15 win in December 1995.
Thus, the likes of Brian O'Driscoll and Shane Horgan would only have played there twice before. One recalls O'Driscoll receiving a standing ovation after a virtuoso try as an Irish selection lost to Munster on Good Friday 2001 in a pre-Lions trial due to the foot-and-mouth disruptions to the Six Nations. O'Driscoll's other appearance in Thomond Park was in Ireland's 61-6 rout of Italy in a World Cup warm-up over three years ago.
Both set-ups have more thorough, in-depth knowledge and analysis of each other than of any other prospective opponents, and seeking any slight curve ball, have decided to play games with their selections.
Munster have supposedly yet to finalise three positions, though the possibility of Jerry Flannery making an injury-delayed seasonal reappearance from the bench has been ruled out. Otherwise, it appears a first-choice selection from those available (five Irish Test forwards are ruled out of their starting line-up), with John O'Sullivan filling the vacancy at blindside created by Alan Quinlan's suspension.
Leinster, apparently, are undecided in half a dozen either/or non-selections: on both wings and at outhalf, secondrow, blindside and number eight.
Most intriguing is outhalf, where the choice is between Jeremy Sexton and Felipe Contepomi. Leinster's Puma talisman has invariably been a central figure in recent meetings with Munster and by all accounts has been desperately targeting this as his comeback game since damaging knee ligaments in Argentina's win in France on November 25th.
If he were to do so, it would be well ahead of medical advice and the odds must be against him starting, all the more so with The Last Stand against Ulster only four days away. But with Christian Warner still nursing a sternum injury, this would mean a first league start for the young Sexton.
If Contepomi appears, it will add to the game's lustre and innumerable subplots - the return of Trevor Hogan and Stephen Keogh to their old stamping ground; David Wallace versus Keith Gleeson; possibly Denis Leamy versus Jamie Heaslip and Malcolm O'Kelly versus Donncha O'Callaghan; and the showcasing of the emerging talents of Barry Murphy and Luke Fitzgerald.
Leinster's physicality met Munster head-on at the breakdown last time out, and their back line cut Munster open with precision for a bonus-point win. They have since added some forward, pick-and-go ballast to their armoury in rugged away dates with Ulster and Agen and look less likely to roll over and have their bellies tickled than on their last trek south.
Yet, there's been a vengeful, tit-for-tat pattern to recent fixtures, with victories going to the home side in the league. All this points to another home win, and while it's a long way from the cliched clash of styles of yore, nothing points to a Munster win more than the contrasting experienced hand on the tiller, tactical kicking and goalkicking of Ronan O'Gara if all else fails Munster, which it assuredly won't.
The move to Thomond will intensify Munster's desire, not least because they know the carrot could equally inspire Leinster. Indeed, the lack of goodwill gives it all the makings of a seasonal cracker.
MUNSTER: S Payne/C Cullen; J Kelly, B Murphy/L Mafi, T Halstead, I Dowling; R O'Gara, P Stringer; D Hurley/F Pucciariello, F Sheahan, J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell (capt); J O'Sullivan, D Wallace, D Leamy. Replacements: AN Other, D Hurley/F Pucciariello, C Wyatt, J Coughlan, T O'Leary, J Manning, B Murphy/L Mafi.
LEINSTER: G Dempsey; S Horgan/L Fitzgerald, B O'Driscoll (capt), G D'Arcy, D Hickie/R Kearney; J Sexton/F Contepomi, G Easterby; R McCormack, B Jackman, S Wright; T Hogan, M O'Kelly/O Finegan; C Jowitt/S Keogh, K Gleeson, S Keogh/J Heaslip. Replacements: R Corrigan/F Pala'amo, H Vermaas, M O'Kelly/O Finegan, J Heaslip/C Jowitt, C Whitaker, J Sexton/F Contepomi/A Dunne, L Fitzgerald/K Lewis.
Referee: Alan Lewis (IRFU).
Overall head-to-head (competitive fixtures only): Played 69, Munster 33 wins, Draws 5, Leinster 31 wins.
Last five meetings: (06-07) ML - Leinster 27 Munster 30 (Lansdowne Road); ML - Leinster 20 (Lansdowne Road). (05-06) HC - Leinster 6 Munster 30 (Lansdowne Road) ML - Leinster 35 Munster 23 (RDS); ML - Munster 33 Leinster 9. (04-05) CC s/f - Leinster 17 Munster 23 (Lansdowne Road).
Formguide: Munster - L W W W W. Leinster - W W D W W.
Leading ML try scorers: Munster - David Wallace 2. Leinster - Denis Hickie 4.
Leading ML points scorers: Munster - Jeremy Manning 55. Leinster - Felipe Contepomi 80.
Betting (Paddy Power): 1/3 Munster, 22/1 Draw, 2/1 Leinster. Handicap odds (= Leinster + 7pts) 10/11 Munster, 22/1 Draw, 10/11 Leinster.
Forecast: Munster to win.
