Rugby/Celtic Cup Semi-final: A semi-final of a soon-to-be-defunct Celtic Cup may not amount to a hill of beans in the greater scheme, but with Leinster and Munster in opposing corners it wouldn't matter if there were only an egg cup at stake.
This one is always personal.
A star-studded line-up featuring 27 internationals, and including nine of the Lions squad to tour New Zealand this summer, is testimony to the game's value. Nor will its import to the Lions present be of most significance.
As an unofficial Irish championship decider, the winners will enjoy bragging rights over the summer and into next season.
As usual there are countless subplots and side issues to motivate both sets of players. Aside from the impending departure of Alan Gaffney (probably as popular still in Leinster circles as in Munster), the visitors might rightly be aggrieved that they have been drawn away tomorrow despite finishing above Leinster in the Celtic League, and will no doubt interpret the television-dictated 5.30 Sunday evening kick-off as a slight; it should also reduce the Red Army.
Knowing Munster, the presence of twice as many Lions in Leinster's starting line-up will be grist to their mill, and there may even be a desire to avenge the inaugural Celtic League final 24-20 defeat when the sides last met at this venue (and at such strength) three seasons ago.
However, for once, Leinster may be harbouring just as many grudges.
Although Declan Kidney's desire to return home is understood by many, there will be a sense of grievance over his departure with two years left on his contract. Leinster will also want to atone for their last big occasion at Lansdowne Road, the anti-climactic quarter-final beating by Leicester, and in particular the thorny chestnut that Munster, once again, went out more honourably away to Biarritz the next day. Leinster have long since grown weary of odious comparisons with their biggest domestic rivals.
So it's set fair for a cracking contest, with added bite thrown in. Granted, that Celtic League final apart, meetings between the two have often failed to live up to the hype, in keeping with low-scoring interprovincials.
One thinks back to a sterile, 6-6 draw at Musgrave Park four seasons ago.
Leinster's interim coach Gerry Murphy dismisses the simplistic notion that this is a contest between the might of Munster's forward play and the slickness of the Leinster backs, and Gaffney also points out that Munster have been rewarded for their more expansive approach by being the leading try scorers in the Celtic League.
Yet, when the sides last met in Musgrave Park on New Year's Day, it was the Munster maul that carried them to a typically sleeves-rolled-up victory, and in the heel of the hunt Leinster's backs do carry more strike power and a greater ability to score from long range: witness the belter of a try by Girvan Dempsey last week.
Munster have to work harder for their yards as well as their scores, and one imagines they will have to get the upper hand up front, impose their maul, deny Leinster at source and apply unrelenting, suffocating pressure to prevent David Holwell from releasing the all-Lions threequarter line and Dempsey outside him with quick ball.
The extent to which Leinster break free of Munster's shackles still looks like a key factor in this intriguing encounter, and judged on last week's quarter-finals - misleading or not - they appear in more fluent nick.
Depending on the weather and the walk-up factor on the day, hopefully there'll be a five-figure crowd to do the game justice.
Leinster chief executive Mick Dawson has pointed out that Munster's complimentary allocation of 50 tickets is in accordance with competition rules but that were they asked for additional tickets they would be accommodated.
Come kick-off, there won't be much of that around.
LEINSTER: G Dempsey; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, D Hickie; D Holwell, G Easterby; R Corrigan (capt), S Byrne, E Byrne, L Cullen, M O'Kelly, D Dillon, K Gleeson, V Costello. Replacements (from): R Nebbett, J Lyne, D Blaney, B Gissing, S Jennings, E Miller, A McCullen, B O'Meara, F Contepomi, D Quinlan.
MUNSTER: S Payne; J Kelly, M Mullins, R Henderson, A Horgan; P Burke, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, A Quinlan, D Wallace, A Foley (capt). Replacements: J Flannery, G McIlwham, T Hogan, D Leamy, M Prendergast, P Devlin, J Manning, P Devlin.
Referee: Nigel Whitehouse (WRU).
Last five meetings: (00-01) Intp: Munster 6 Leinster 6. (03-04) CL: Leinster 8 Munster 15; CL: Munster 24 Leinster 13. (04-05) CL: Leinster 17 Munster 15; CL: Munster 19 Leinster 13.
Overall (Interpros and Celtic League): Played 64, Leinster 29 wins, 5 draws, Munster 30 wins.
Biggest wins: Leinster: 32-0 in 1958/59 at Lansdowne Road. Munster: 36-14 in 1994/95 at Donnybrook.
Odds (Paddy Power): 8/15 Leinster, 18/1 Draw, 6/4 Munster. Handicap betting (=Munster +5pts) 10/11 Leinster, 20/1 Draw, 10/11 Munster.
Forecast: Leinster to win.
