Munster may have the edge

Although there have been a few duds along the way, consistently this fixture has provided the highlights of the interprovincial campaign - witness their 85-point epic three years ago. It would be too much to hope for something along those lines, but nor should it be the tryless yawn of two years ago when they last met in Cork.

For some reason, too, both sides produced some of their best rugby as the away side in last year's meetings, culminating in Munster's brook-no-arguments championship-winning display in front of a packed Donnybrook.

It's interesting to note that, although Munster give the impression of having a much more settled side - and the bulk of this team were in last year's squad - in point of fact only five of their players survive from that Donnybrook clash whereas six of Leinster's seemingly restructured outfit turn out again.

All in all, it's an intriguing matchup of contrasts. Munster, energized by Keith Wood's return, have many of the old familiar faces on view. Winners they are too, and if Peter Clohessy, Wood, Mick Galwey and Anthony Foley hit the ground running, one could well see them battering away in those areas inside and around the out-half channel, and productively mounting up the yardage.

A Munster tyro once privately bemoaned that it was next to pointless playing for them when the crowd were still wearing their summer shades. At best they wouldn't get going till September, and maybe October.

As it happened, they peaked nicely in the second half last season, winning their final three games to ultimately exchange places with a Leinster side that had led at the halfway point.

However, with the cut-off point for the World Cup squad of 30 only four weeks away, Munster oughtn't to make one of their traditional slow starts.

There's no formguide to speak of and given the wild reversals in last season's meetings, there was never much of a one anyway. On top of which Leinster could be anything.

Up front, Munster certainly look to have a bit more savvy about them, although the set-pieces might even themselves out. The scrums could even be a bit messy, while the respective arrivals of former Wallaby John Langford (Munster) and Malcolm O'Kelly (Leinster) to the middle of the line should ensure both sides good line-out ball, especially as Eddie Halvey isn't around to mess up the Leinster throw.

It could well be won in the middle five, and the back-row clash is a hard one to call. David Corkery and Trevor Brennan (who may not be 100 per cent) are cut from the same cloth and this one could get personal. The Anthony Foley-Victor Costello match-up could be a mystery wrapped in an enigma, based on guesswork about respective fitness levels and desire. The Foley clan are probably still sore over the publication of his fitness tests last season, whereas Costello's weren't, while the Leinster man is on Comeback Mission Number 50 or thereabouts.

Question marks remain about Leinster's vulnerable areas of recent years, namely openside flanker, outhalf and captain. Then again, a question mark now applies to Munster's openside, in light of Halvey's absence and also to midfield, where Rhys Ellison was such a huge influence.

On a plus side for Munster, Ronan O'Gara is a proven place-kicker whereas neither Barry Everitt nor Brian O'Driscoll are. After all, the much maligned Alan McGowan may have come to professionalism and the new ways a bit late, but his goalkicking was still a match-winner for Leinster in their '95 and '99 wins in Limerick, where, curiously they tend to do better than in Cork.

Although Everitt, one of the prime architects of Munster's crunch win over Leinster, has sensibly switched allegiances, he and Peter Stringer had an armchair ride that night. In any event, but particularly if their pack gain an edge, the Tom Tierney-O'Gara axis looks primed for a good day and a good campaign.

If the outside backs become prime movers and shakers though, Leinster look to have most of the aces. Denis Hickie, as an unlikely captain, will surely want ball and if he gets a few one-on-ones with John O'Neill, then the relaunch of his World Cup mission could begin.

Munster don't seem to have bundles of try-scoring potential, especially out wide with John Lacey missing, and it's worth noting that they were actually the lowest tryscorers in last season's interprovincials. The key was that they conceded half as many tries as anyone else.

In the heel of the hunt, the old adage that forwards win matches and backs by how much generally applies. And if it does again, then Munster might be the fancy, although the smart money probably wouldn't be invested at all.