It says much about the competitiveness of Pool A in the European Cup that for Leinster to take the scalps of Leicester and Stade Francais was one thing, but, would you credit it, Glasgow Caledonians quite another.

Indeed, in the immediate aftermath of Leinster's home win over Stade Francais, it was striking to note how much their captain Liam Toland was calmly emphasising that Glasgow Caledonians was always going to be his team's toughest home game.

For starters, they won't come to Donnybrook this Friday night with the mental baggage of being notoriously poor travellers. And the worse the weather, the more like home it will feel, even for the kilted Kiwis.

Gary Halpin, the longest absentee among Irish rugby's prodigal sons of the 1990s, readily agrees with Toland. "In terms of the rest of the opposition we have faced, these guys beat us more comprehensively away from home than anybody else did. "Away to Stade, we made a couple of defensive errors and the game ran away from us, but when we went to Glasgow they were pretty confident in all departments, particularly at counter-attacking.

"To be honest, they're the only team I have seen who are willing to play from anywhere. The pack are pretty workmanlike, and are basically there to service the backs, but they scored some fabulous tries. We'll have to close these guys down on Friday."

By comparison, Halpin has been disappointed with Leicester, and reveals that his young team-mates were relatively confident of beating Stade on the premise that they wouldn't fancy Donnybrook on a wet and windy December night. However, he says of Friday's game: "I wouldn't like to call this one. This is a 50-50 game this weekend. This is their big target game, and our do-or-die game. It's our cup final, If we lose we're dead, finished, buried."

Put like that, Leinster dare not look beyond this Friday, even though victory in this match and against Leicester in Welford Road eight days later could conceivably steer Mike Ruddock's tyros into the last eight from this tightest of groups.

Relative to their unexceptional inter-provincial form at the outset, Leinster have progressed this season. Fifty per cent winning ratios in both the inter-pros and the European Cup thus far hardly amount to a disastrous campaign.

"This is a young side and it has taken it time to find its feet. For the team's development, to qualify from the group would be brilliant, but we still haven't achieved anything yet."

Pinpointing the reason why Leinster have turned the corner to a degree this season is difficult, even for Halpin. The arrival of Matt Williams as backs' coach, the captaincy of Toland, and improved form of individuals such as Malcolm O'Kelly may be contributory factors, as indeed might be Halpin's own injury-free run.

"The difference between winning and doing badly is very small. Emmet Farrell, for example, has been a revelation for the side at out-half. Mark McHugh is a very talented player and so is Barry Everitt, but at the moment Emmet is the guy bringing out the gameplan we're trying to play. He takes our attack very close to the opposition and all season we've been trying to do that. Our defensive play has definitely tightened up as well."

It's hard to credit that Halpin is playing his first season in Irish rugby since his last of three seasons with Wanderers in 1990-91. He has been impressed with Ruddock, whom he says is highly regarded across the water.

"There's been so much doom and gloom, especially after the World Cup, but in Blackrock alone we have four centres of a quality that Harlequins (one of his former teams) wouldn't have.

"When I remember playing in Ireland years ago, there were two or three good quality players and the rest were usually fill-ins. A lot of the club sides, especially in the first division, have good, competent players in all positions, so there's been some good development going on."

Initially, Halpin departed to London for the first of seven seasons with London Irish (last season was spent with Harlequins) partly as a teacher and ostensibly for "economic" reasons. "I was unemployed and was going nowhere. I'd had an insurance job which I hated," he explains.

While he disliked the timing and the manner of Willie Anderson's removal as coach of the Exiles, Halpin understands the way the club has gone and retains contact with Irish's amateur wing.

Now he's enjoying his Indian summer with Leinster. "I've had a bloody good innings, I'm still in one piece and I'm still able to play at this level," he concludes.