RUGBY / Celtic League / Leinster v Ulster: The "interpros" may be no more but the internecine rivalry of provincial head-to-heads today ups the interest in what has been a decidedly slow-burning, post-Lions start to the season.
Hence, Donnybrook should be packed and buzzing when Ulster, the early pacesetters, put the Celtic League's only unbeaten record on the line this evening.
And, as ever, there'll be much more than that at stake. Ulster come to Dublin with a rejuvenated, young, indigenous team, seven of whom upped the province's recently poor representation on the Irish team when selected for the Japanese tour while Leinster's Lions were away.
Each side starts with nine internationals, with another five on the bench, and all but three of them are Irish. It's liable to become feisty and abrasive at times, and Olan Trevor has a big task keeping things under control. Ulster incurred the wrath of Alain Rolland in their most recent visit to Donnybrook when losing 9-8 and Mark McCall is the first to admit his side had to do some navel contemplation.
"We conceded the most penalty goals of any team in the Celtic League last season and lost three games to late penalties, so while we could moan all we wanted about referees we had to do something about it," he said.
Evidence of how much they've tidied up their discipline was handsomely displayed last Saturday when they defended a three-point lead away to the Dragons for the last 11 minutes of normal time and injury time. Ulster kept their defensive shape and their numbers out, without conceding a penalty, and actually never looked like being breached.
It was a game they might well have thrown away last season.
Their setpieces have tightened up considerably, as their relatively callow, homespun pack of emerging stars have seemingly been pulled together by the arrival of Justin Harrison, especially, and Justin Fitzpatrick.
The return of the talismanic David Humphreys in an otherwise unchanged side - and easily the most settled of the four provinces - will be a further boost, and outside of him the maturing of Tommy Bowe into their main strike runner has been augmented by the emergence of Andrew Trimble. They could hardly be more confident.
"We haven't won down there in a while," McCall says in reference to a losing streak at Donnybrook dating back to 1999, "but there's a good atmosphere in the camp and we'll go down there knowing that if we play like we've been playing we've a good chance of getting a result."
That said, he acknowledges Leinster are the toughest-looking opponents they've faced so far, all the more so in light of the return of Shane Horgan and Denis Hickie to the starting XV.
"A local derby is knew to me, and they look to be brimming with confidence, but I can't wait," admits Michael Cheika. "That's why we play rugby, for games like these. We've prepared well and the boys are very focused."
The timing of the Irish training camp earlier in the week left Leinster with just Wednesday and Thursday to prepare for this one. And Auckland lock Bryce Williams makes a debut after arriving only last Monday as Leinster strive to develop a new lineout.
But if Williams isn't too rusty and the Leinster lineout holds up, then Horgan, especially, looks primed on his first start for 16 weeks and, with Gordon D'Arcy back in the fray, their bench looks to have more impact in it.
LEINSTER: G Dempsey; D Hickie, S Horgan, F Contepomi (capt), R Kearney; C Warner, G Easterby; R Corrigan, B Jackman, W Green; B Williams, B Gissing; C Potts, K Gleeson, J Heaslip. Replacements: R McCormack, D Blaney, D Dillon, E Miller, B O'Meara, K Lewis, G D'Arcy.
ULSTER: P Wallace; T Bowe, A Trimble, K Maggs, J Topping; D Humphreys, K Campbell; J Fitzpatrick, R Best, S Best (capt); J Harrison, M McCullough; N Best, N McMillan, R Wilson. Replacements: P Shields, B Young, R Frost, C Feather, R Spee, A Larkin, T Howe.
Referee: Olan Trevor (IRFU)
Celtic League head-to-head: (01-02) Leinster 31 Ulster 9. (03-04) (CC q/f) Ulster 23 Leinster 23. Leinster 32 Ulster 30; Ulster 28 Leinster 6. (04-05) Ulster 15 Leinster 26; Leinster 9 Ulster 8.
Formguide: Leinster: 20-22 v Ospreys (a); 26-21 v Glasgow (h); 33-14 v Dragons (h). Ulster: 25-22 v Cardiff 9 (a); 30-23 v Edinburgh (h); 22-19 v Dragons (a).
Leading try scorers: Leinster: Robert Kearney 3. Ulster: Tommy Bowe, Andrew Trimble, Neil Best 2 each.
Leading scorers: Leinster: Felipe Contepomi 54. Ulster: David Humphreys 40.
Forecast: Leinster to win.
Donnybrook, 5:30 / TV: Setanta
