Munster remain team to beat

It's back, and scarcely with a whimper. European champions in 1999 versus the European runners-up of just over three months ago, on opening night - vindication, surely, of Declan Kidney's view that the Guinness Interprovincial Championship is as tough as the Euro pool stages.

That Euro success has come with a six-series, home-and-away championship complete with Super 12 scoring system is no coincidence either. The try rate has steadily increase from 2.5 to 4.25 and then 6.9 last season.

Munster's back-to-back titles and their 28 points out of a possible 30 last season was remarkable.

It's doubtful whether that mark will be equalled, not least because this may be the last of a six-series championship. The probability of a Celtic League means that no sooner has the interpros become an overnight success after 54 years, than two years later it could return to a diminished version of the old one.

The interpros are still the qualifying route to the European Cup, and unless one of the Irish provinces reaches this season's Cup semi-finals, only the top two in the interpros will qualify.

Munster may be caught cold tonight, especially at Ravenhill, but over the duration of the series, it would be surprising if their established virtues were suddenly wiped out. The Munstermen remain the main men.

Ulster perhaps sense this is the best time to catch Munster, especially at home. With less strains placed upon them at the end of the season and on the Americas' tour, Ulster's pre-season has been more searching and they've the positive effects of their summer recruitment drive.

By comparison, Declan Kidney identified rest for his many overworked players as a key priority when they resumed in pre-season.

It wouldn't be the first time that Munster put the needs of their players first; they were slow off the blocks and propped up the table at the half-way point two seasons ago, whereas last season the October World Cup put more onus on them to hit the ground running.

Munster are by far the most settled of the quartet. Even as enforced changes go, the advent of Marcus Horan, Frankie Sheahan and Alan Quinlan in place of John Hayes, Keith Wood and Eddie Halvey should be fairly seamless and the fitness of Mike Mullins and John Kelly is a boon.

Ulster will cling to the fact that Munster's last win in Ravenhill was 21 years ago. Munster are comfortably the most potent of the provinces despite not having the best cutting edge out wide, and their mental game has developed apace.

Once underachieving travellers, their best three performances in the last two interpro campaigns have been at Donnybrook (twice) and Queens last season. Three of their four best displays in Europe last season were away to Saracens, Colomiers and Toulouse.

Revenge will be a great spur for Ulster after three successive defeats to Munster. The latter are up there to be shot at this season, a quasi Manchester United, set to motivate home opposition more than any other. They also have an incentive: two decades without a win at Ravenhill.

ULSTER: G Henderson; J Topping, R Constable, J Bell, T Howe; D Humphreys (capt), B Free; J Fitzpatrick, R Weir, C Boyd, P Johns, G Longwell, R Nelson, T McWhirter, A Ward. Replacements - S Bell, N Malone, S Stewart, S Best, P Shields, M Blair, D Topping.

MUNSTER: D Crotty; J Kelly, M Mullins, J Holland, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, P Clohessy, M Galwey (capt), J Langford, A Quinlan, A Foley, D Wallace. Replacements (from) - K Keane, J Staunton, M Mullins, J Kelly, C McMahon, T Tierney, D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll, P Bracken, J Hayes, J Fogarty.

Referee: Alan Lewis (IRFU).