Cue TO the grand finale. The Interprovincial Championship reaches its denouement on Saturday at Ravenhill and Donnybrook, and arguably there has never been more at stake. Munster pretty much have the title within their grasp but far more intriguing, and in many ways more important, is the three-pronged battle for the other two European Cup places. It would be nice to think that somebody out there cares.

Alas, a cumulative attendance of barely 1,000 at last Saturday's two games rather suggests very few do. It might also be construed as further evidence that the Intepros are, in effect, a failed entity. Without regurgitating the proposals voiced in this column a fortnight ago, it's now even harder not to think that a completed revamped representative structure (founded by the existing clubs forming new franchises around Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Galway and Belfast) wouldn't be eminently more viable.

There's certainly little evidence to suggest that plodding along with the intepros in their current guise is getting us anywhere. It might well be that by their very make-up the interpros will never capture the imagination of the rugby public, never mind the Irish sporting public at large.

However, if they are to remain the flagship of Irish representative rugby, and the means by which Ireland's representatives in the European Cup are to be decided, then they need serious revamping.

To begin with, there has scarcely been any promotion of the interpros through advertising on television, radio, print media, posters or whatever. This would require a cumulative effort from the IRFU and the branches, but as Warren Gatland, Connacht's director of rugby, admits: "Everyone seems prepared to pass the buck. As far as I'm concerned, the interpros have had a reasonably high profile in the print media. We can't really complain about what they're doing, but there's been no advertising or marketing."

Much more could be done as well. On the basis that Irish rugby cannot afford to be hostages to tradition any longer, re-naming the provincial sides with a completely new brand image and perhaps even re-naming the competition, say the Guinness Cup, with improved sponsorship and some television coverage included, wouldn't go amiss at all.

Whether or not the European Cup adopts a new points scoring system along southern hemisphere lines, the introduction of such a formula (four points for a win, two for a draw, and one bonus point for scoring four tries and/or losing by seven points or less) would surely encourage the game everyone from Brian Ashton down is supposedly looking for. As it is, all four provinces have scored just three tries each from two games - a fairly poor strike rate by today's standards.

Of course, full-time contracts throughout the provinces would serve as a general means towards improving playing standards and the general fare on offer (aside from making the provinces more competitive in Europe).

Granted money doesn't grow on the trees of Lansdowne Road but the Irish team's fitness expert Andy Clarke has reputedly made a strong plea for such a course of action and it is believed that this vexed question will again be raised at this Thursday's meeting of the National liaison committee. "There's no point in going full-time in 12 months' time. We have to do it now. Everybody else is doing it, even the Scots."

Gatland has another idea which is worth considering, namely "playing the interpros on a home and away basis over six games. We could start them three weeks earlier and give all the provinces more preparation for the European competitions."

Alternatively the six series of games could be staggered or used en bloc to fill in the gaping hole between the European competitions and the Five Nations championship which the AIL singularly fails to do. But either way Gatland's proposals have a number of other appealing attributes, not least that it would make both the destiny of the title and the three European Cup places a fairer contest.

Each province would have the same number of home and away games, rather than the current inequality of some enjoying two home games and others just one. It would also leave less to chance, and leaves less room for argument about the merits of the champions and the qualifiers for the following season's European Cup.

As things stand, this season's structures for the European Cup will be applied again next season, thereby granting Ireland three representatives in the competition and one in the Conference. Although it is not actually cast in stone anywhere, it is uniformally presumed that the Union will put forward the top three in the interpros. There's no valid reason for doing otherwise.

After two games, Munster are the only province assured of qualification for next season's European Cup but Connacht's win over Ulster has really thrown the cat among the pigeons.

To be denied the title itself, Munster (with a points difference of +23) would have to lose to Ulster in Ravenhill with either Leinster (-2) or Connacht (-10) winning and in the process making up 25 or 33 points respectively on Munster.

Ulster are in a perilous position and will be fighting for their European Cup lives on Saturday. This is a win-or-bust game for Davey Hazlett's team, although they go into the game knowing that a victory for them and defeat for Connacht would again see them edge out Connacht on points differential for the second year running.

Should Ulster win and Connacht beat Leinster, Ulster would have to make up 10 points on Leinster. Thus, a nine-point victory for Ulster would guarantee them a place in next season's European Cup provided the Donnybrook contest doesn't end in a mutually beneficial draw between Leinster and Connacht.

Leinster and Connacht are thus nervously placed. Defeat would leave their European Cup qualification hopes hinging on the outcome from Ravenhill, where, for all Leinster's and Connacht's hopes of snatching the title, Munster could in some ways do them both a favour and just put Ulster out of the European equation.

It's all quite intriguing really, and desperately important for the future development of each provincial team and, by the by, the respective branch coffers. But still you wonder, apart from those directly involved, does anyone out there care? And would they ever, even if the interpros were cosmetically dressed up?