ON RUGBY:THE GREAT thing about being beaten by Munster - if there is even one scintilla of hope for Leinster to cling to in the aftermath of a painfully conclusive defeat to their biggest domestic rivals - is the European champions invariably provide a fairly conclusive examination across the board. In that, at least, Munster didn't let Leinster down.

Sunday's setback after a ferocious collision, aside from providing what may yet prove to be a timely reality check to the optimism amassing around them - although they've striven to keep a lid on it themselves - will have given them plenty to think about.

Perhaps Leinster's performance means the hard-earned win over the Ospreys is a truer reflection of where they are at than the six-try romp against Edinburgh. First and foremost, it will have reminded them of the need to protect the ball a whole lot better than they did on Sunday, when a combination of turnovers or spilled ball at the base of set-pieces or when attempting set-piece moves will have given coaches Michael Cheika, Alan Gaffney and Jonno Gibbes plenty to work on.

Even in defeat there was evidence the arrival of CJ van der Linde and Rocky Elsom can beef up their pack and steady their set-pieces, but perhaps the biggest issue confronting the Leinster think-tank now is the composition of their backline, and specifically what do they do at outhalf.

As the career paths of Ronan O'Gara and David Humphreys underline, it can take an investment of games and time for a talented outhalf's game to reach its potential. The Dan Carters and Danny Ciprianis of this game are the exception rather than the rule. There is an argument for persisting with Jonathan Sexton, who kicked unusually poorly and looked unsure of himself, because the same fixture didn't faze him last April. One senses this is what Leinster might do.

But equally, in the unfortunate absence of Isa Nacewa, whose presence and hard, direct running helped to ignite the Leinster back line against Edinburgh, there is an argument now for trying Felipe Contepomi at outhalf away to Connacht next Sunday in an attempt to ignite the Argentinian's and Leinster's game.

With Luke Fitzgerald moving into midfield alongside Brian O'Driscoll, it would also mean Rob Kearney, Shane Horgan and Girvan Dempsey could all be accommodated.

It's hard to think how the events of Sunday can have any negative effects for Munster. The injection of confidence from their performance before what ought to be an inspiring return to a Thomond Park whose redevelopment is in part their own legacy should only be a good thing. They are unlikely to get carried away, though.

Although Leinster were the third Irish team to draw a blank at the weekend, in truth that's where the similarities ended with poor, outclassed Connacht and an Ulster side that paid for the lack of confidence emanating from three narrow defeats as well as an Ospreys side who hit their straps. The mere return of Shane Williams, whose footwork is as good as any player in the world, adds about 20 per cent to the Ospreys' running game at a stroke, but the Leinster-Munster game was of an altogether higher, more competitive standard than combined 101-0 defeats of Connacht and Ulster in Wales.

In fact, it merely underlined the early signs that the Magners League is developing into a two-tier competition, with Munster and Leinster the only Irish provinces in the top tier. As a result, even allowing for the seismic nature of the main act at the RDS on Sunday, where 32 of the 44 players were Ireland qualified, taken in tandem with the depressing nature of the defeats for Connacht and Ulster, the weekend didn't actually shed a whole lot of positive light for Declan Kidney and the Ireland coaching ticket.

The RDS did underline that the usual suspects among the Munster forwards were in good nick. John Hayes augmented a solid night's work in the scrums by getting more ball in his mits than he generally would in a month. Jerry Flannery and Marcus Horan were like dervishes around the pitch, the former's nerveless steal on the deck and Horan's hounding of Chris Whitaker typifying their work-rate. Likewise, Paul O'Connell, Donncha O'Callaghan and David Wallace, while another big impact cameo in the last 20 minutes from Alan Quinlan suggested that if he can finally stay clear of injuries and bad luck, he might again be an option to throw into the November international mix.

But welcome though the evidence was that the Munster dogs of war retain their bite and their bark, and that Ronan O'Gara's class and all-round game remain in top notch (compare and contrast with this point a year ago going into the World Cup), there was little else in the way of new positives for the Ireland coach.

Tomás O'Leary did not really suggest he yet has the makings of a frontline Test scrumhalf, nor did Sexton underline his credentials as understudy to O'Gara, while the Leinster gamebreakers were afforded little or no opportunity to show their attacking wares. With Kearney still awaiting his first outing at fullback, and allowing for the hugely influential work-rate of Ian Dowling, the best of the new kids on the block was Keith Earls - for whom November will probably be a little too soon.

There wasn't even the longer-term consolation that Lifeimi Mafi might qualify for Ireland at the end of this season by dint of the residency ruling - an outing or two for the New Zealand Sevens making him ineligible - for his performance underlined his status as probably the best centre in Irish rugby at the moment.

Indeed, Munster, Leinster (Felipe Contepomi) and Ulster (Rob Dewey) are currently playing overseas players at number 12 this season and in the continuing absence of Gordon D'Arcy, the only viable midfield options available to Kidney are Paddy Wallace reprising his summer tour call-ups or a Brian O'Driscoll-Luke Fitzgerald combination. So, were Cheika to move Contepomi inside at the expense of Sexton, and go down that midfield route, it could be a mixed blessing for Kidney.

Funnily enough therefore, although the weekend ended with a celebration of an outstanding Irish rivalry, it didn't shed much in the way of new light on team Ireland.