It’s a little bit more than a ‘bragging right’ that’s on offer this evening to the winner of the Magners Grand Final clash btween the sides who finished first and second in the League table.
First off Leinster. They arrive in Limerick not just as European Champions, firm favourites and widely proclaimed the best side in northern hemisphere rugby but also quietly determined to complete the unique double of Heineken and Magners titles while avoiding getting their reign off on a losing note.
For Munster there's the age old ambition of thwarting their arch rivals, the side who has supplanted them as the leading force in Europe, and to harvest silverware at the end of a Magners campaign that saw them win 19 out of 22 games to end up clear leaders at the top of the table.
Were they to end up with nothing at the end of such a campaign, may seem cruel but as James Coughlan admitted during the week, "that's what we signed up to, we knew the format from the outset." and it lies in their own hands to ensure that doesn't happen. That too was something they'd set their sights on from the outset.
However, they face arguably, the toughest test of recent times.
This is a hard-nosed, skillful Leinster side who dont know when they're beaten as evidenced in last week's epic victory in Cardiff.
True, Northampton could never have lasted the blistering pace of the opening half and yes their second half collapse was hard to either imagine or understand. Unless of course we give credit to the extraordinary focus and mindset that Leinster brough to that second half and the blistering displays by the likes of Shane Jennings and Sean O'Brien and few more besides.
And therein lies the problem facing Munster this evening, if Leinster bring that type of form with them.
On the other hand, back in early April, Leinster looked to have Munster beaten out the door at half time only to see Munster chip away at them in the second half and snatch a late late but deserved victory.
And if that second half was dredged from the 'old school' tactic book, the following weekend in Brive they showed they could play with pace and panache in the sweltering heat in the Amlin quarter final.
So what they need this evening is a combination of both, a little bit of a rub of the green and maybe the hope that Leinster's ambition has been sated.
Munster: F Jones; D Howlett, D Barnes, L Mafi, K Earls; R O'Gara, C Murray; M Horan, D Varley, J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell capt; D Ryan, D Wallace, J Coughlan. Replacements: M Sherry, W du Preez, S Archer, D Leamy, N Ronan, P Stringer, P Warwick, J Murphy.
Leinster: I Nacewa; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, F McFadden, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, E Reddan; H van der Merwe, R Strauss, M Ross; L Cullen capt, N Hines; S O'Brien, S Jennings, J Heaslip: Replacements: A Dundon, C Healy, S Wright, D Toner, K McLaughlin, P O'Donoghue, I Madigan, E O'Malley.
Referee: Nigel Owens.
