So much for a respite. Scarcely a week after facing up to the All Blacks, and in sharp contrast to last season when the front-line international players were given December off from AIB League duty, the four provinces kick back into action this weekend close to full strength.
Indeed, it is a telling barometer of the desire each of the quarter-finalists have to get their mits on the inaugural Celtic League trophy that all eight of them will only rest those who are ruled out by injury, such as the Munster and Ireland flanker David Wallace.
Nor, it has to be said, do the players themselves seemingly share the view held by the IRFU's director of fitness, Dr Liam Hennessy, and most probably the Irish management, that a December rest would be preferable. They want to win this one.
With all four Irish provinces enjoying home advantage on foot of filling the top two places in each pool after a cumulative run of 16 successive wins, Ulster and Leinster host Neath and Newport on Friday evening while Saturday's double-header has been staggered to accommodate TG4's coverage.
Connacht host Glasgow at 2 p.m. while Munster entertain the in-form Welsh side Llanelli in arguably the pick of the quarter-finals at Thomond Park (kick-off 5.30 p.m.).
"It is great that we are playing at home but Llanelli proved at Leicester, when they lost by just three points, that they are an extremely strong side and that they perform in away matches," warns Declan Kidney in typically cautious fashion.
Trophies are hard enough to come by and while Munster have won three successive Guinness Interprovincial titles, they've yet to augment their recent domestic supremacy further afield. As with the other provinces, winning the Celtic League could be an invaluable psychological boost as they seek their holy grail of the European Cup, while in practice it would also keep Munster ticking over for three more weeks before the resumption of the same competition in the new year.
"Before the Celtic League, we would have shut down from November 4th to January 4th. However, now we have at least one big game in that period, though obviously I hope we can make it more than just the one. But playing Llanelli in the quarter-finals is a bit like playing a final and we are looking no further ahead than that match," says Kidney.
"I want us to try and stick in there and, with our Pool in the Heineken Cup sure to go down to the wire, we are still very much in both tournaments - although I am well aware that by the middle of January we could be out of everything."
He and the Munster brains trust have some tricky selection posers today. At full back it would be a tough call to omit Jeremy Staunton, given he played the last three European games while the fit-again Dominic Crotty was nursing a broken hand. Since then, Staunton has gone on to make his Test debut.
Ditto Jason Holland (four tries in their last five games) for Rob Henderson at inside centre, while Paul O'Connell and Mick O'Driscoll are vying for a place alongside Mick Galwey.
The Limerick quarter-final has been given added piquancy by a couple of potentially significant match-ups, should Peter Stringer go head-to-head with Guy Easterby, his understudy as Irish scrumhalf, and Alan Quinlan go toe-to-toe with Simon Easterby (both are theoretically third and second in the pecking order for the position of Irish blindside flanker).
The elder Easterby knows this could be a big chance to make up some ground on Stringer. "He has got what I want and while I respect him, I won't be looking to do him any favours. His style is different to mine and I don't want the Irish selectors to merely think of me as a 20-minute impact player - I want to regain my place in the starting line-up."
Furthermore, as Easterby points out, Llanelli haven't been overawed by the Irish provinces this season, beating Ulster and losing to one Andy Dunne-inspired Leinster moment of magic, though this will be a bigger test again.
"Thomond Park is a hell of a place to go to play and Munster have been in superb form once again this season. But so have Llanelli and it is going to be a great game.
"Declan Kidney, the Munster coach, has already started the mind games by saying he feels Llanelli could become the first Welsh side to win in Limerick. It's going to be a full house and an epic occasion."
The winners of the Donnybrook and Thomond Park ties will have "home" advantage in the semi-finals a week later. Hence, were Leinster and Munster to win, both semi-finals would be held in Lansdowne Road. Leinster would probably play on Friday, December 7th with Munster following on Saturday, December 8th.
Alternatively, were Newport and Llanelli to win this weekend, both semi-finals would be held in Cardiff Arms Park on those days.
Meanwhile, Murrayfield, Lansdowne Road and the Millennium Stadium are on standby for the final on December 15th.
