Leinster v Biarritz: The old ground will never have seen anything quite like it. The promised sea of blue and gold, courtesy of 45,000 cards to be issued prior to the game, may even cover over the cracks in the crumbling crucible.
The Leinster Branch have pushed the boat out. A carnival atmosphere is anticipated. All Leinster have to do now is win.
The unprecedented support for the province, indeed for any quarter-final in the history of the Heineken European Cup, will be welcomed, of course, and could play an integral part in propelling Leinster to another "home" tie in the semi-finals. But, in a sense, the Leinster team will have to divorce themselves from the hype, the expectations and the occasion.
"The occasion is for the public, the branch, our families and friends, but we can't afford to get into that, we have to play the match, not the occasion," says coach Matt Williams, who admits loose talk of a home run to a Lansdowne Road decider on May 24th is unnerving.
Biarritz, by comparison, can swing from the hip, free from the burdens of expectancy. At least that's the way they're selling it.
"We will go there with no pressure whatsoever because we are the underdogs for this match," says Thomas Lievremont, one of six Biarritz players to have sampled Lansdowne Road before.
"If we let Leinster play their game, we will be dead in the water, so we have to create an impression from the outset. It's going to be a huge physical challenge - and our first-up defence is going to have to be first class because Leinster are capable of playing it wide if they get the space. It's going to be a big, big match."
Allowing for home advantage, and all other things being equal, Leinster would ordinarily win. But there are a few factors which are seemingly working against such smugness. For starters, Leinster are ring rusty, given they haven't played together in three months (in which time Biarritz have played five matches). And they ain't a good rusty team: more than most outfits they are a momentum team; they need to be well-oiled.
"That's because we play a running, ball-in-hand game," agrees Williams. "It takes time, and that's why I always say we're at our best in our third game. History shows that. But we were never under any illusions about how difficult this game is."
Then there is Leinster's injury problems. To compound the absence of Shane Horgan, Reggie Corrigan and Paul Wallace, Emmet Byrne, Shane Byrne, Denis Hickie and Keith Gleeson took little or no part in training this week before being passed fit at yesterday's final run-out.
In particular, the lack of scrummaging practice is hardly ideal given the Biarritz scrum has been one of their primary weapons this season. Granted, any team that can score 13 tries, albeit against a dilettante Cardiff, has pace out wide, personified by ex-Australian sevens player John Isaac at centre, classy French full back Nicolas Brusque and the remarkable, 32-year-old winger Philippe Bernat-Salles.
For the most part, though, Biarritz are from the old school of no-frills French rugby, and play to their grizzled pack, average age 30-and-a-half, with a grinding, mauling, scrummaging game before giving the ball to Bernat-Salles and Co.
If they can slow down the tempo of the game and keep the exchanges tight, the more it is likely to suit them. So referee Steve Lander's role in limiting any spoiling tactics and ensuring the game flows is important. There might also be the hope that if Leinster did pull a couple of scores ahead, the French champions would look around, find only 200 friends in a sea of blue and say to hell with it.
But then you look at their performances in that 38-29 quarter-final defeat to Munster in Thomond Park two years ago, and narrow defeats in Ravenhill and Northampton, and they tend not to roll over and have their bellies tickled.
But presuming Biarritz don't do a number on the Leinster scrum, that Victor Costello, David Quinlan and Co punch a few holes, that they can work up a quick tempo, then Leinster have the mobility and pace to pull through.
LEINSTER: G Dempsey; D Hickie, B O'Driscoll (capt), D Quinlan, G D'Arcy; C Warner, B O'Meara; E Byrne, S Byrne, P Coyle, L Cullen, M O'Kelly, E Miller, V Costello, K Gleeson. Replacements: N Treston, G Hickie, A Kearney, A McCullen, B O'Riordan, N Spooner, P McKenna.
BIARRITZ OLYMPIQUE: N Brusque; P Bernat-Salles, M Stcherbina, J Isaac, P Bidabe; J Peyrelongue, D Yachvilli; M Fitzgerald, J-M Gonzalez (capt), D Avril, D Couzinet, O Roumat, S Betsen, T Lievremont, C Milheres. Replacements: J Campo, B Gallais, O Nauroy, O Tonita, L Mazas, G Bousses, M Etcheverria.
Referee: S Lander (Eng).
Previous meetings: (2000-1) Leinster 35 Biarritz 9, Biarritz 30 Leinster 10.
Formguide: Leinster: 29-23 v Bristol (h), 51-10 v Swansea (a), 23-20 v Montferrand (a), 12-9 v Montferrand (h), 48-19 v Swansea (h), 25-12 v Bristol (a). Biarritz: 26-15 v Cardiff (a), 23-20 v Northampton (h), 9-13 v Ulster (a), 25-20 v Ulster (h), 14-17 v Northampton (a), 75-25 v Cardiff (h).
Leading try scorers: Leinster: Denis Hickie, Gordon D'Arcy 5 each, Aiden McCullen 4. Biarritz: Philippe Bernat-Salles 3.
Leading points scorers: Leinster: Brian O'Meara 70 pts. Biarritz: Dimitri Yachvilli 64.
Betting (Paddy Powers): Handicap odds (= Biarritz +11pts) 10/11 Leinster, 16/1 Draw, 10/11 Biarritz.
Forecast: Leinster to win.
A number of terrace tickets are on sale in two outlets: Spar, Donnybrook, or Elvery's, Dawson Street.
