The consequences of Munster's emphatic quarter-final victory against Gloucester last weekend have been far reaching to say the least.

Not only have they reached an impressive seventh semi-final in nine seasons, but Paul O'Connell's side have also restored some much needed pride to the game in this country. The early exit from this season's World Cup, coupled with the worst Six Nations finish since 1999, all but signalled an end to the golden era of Irish rugby.

However the manner with which Munster dispatched the current leaders of the English Premiership has injected new life into the game. The New Zealand trio aside, the rest of the starting fifteen were schooled within a ninety-minute drive of Thomond Park. The emergence of Denis Hurley and Tomas O'Leary along with the revitalised Ian Dowling has added a new dimension to the overall attacking options. It all bodes well for the forthcoming semi-final in a little over two weeks time.

First up the province must make the short trip up the M7 to take on local-rivals Leinster. The Dublin based club will have watched last weekend's game with furious envy. Keen to prove their talents in a similar fashion, Michael Cheika's side will look to justify their position as current Magners League leaders. This top-of-the-table clash will go a long way to deciding the overall destiny of this season's title. Leinster are currently eleven points ahead of Munster, although the red army do have a game in hand. Victory for Cheika's men on Saturday evening will all but assure his squad of capturing the league. Leinster have surrendered the title on the final weekend of each of the last two campaigns, therefore they'll be anxious to wrap up proceedings well in advance this time around.

Often criticised for having a soft underbelly when it comes to the crunch games, Leinster dispelled this myth with a hard-fought and well-deserved victory during atrocious conditions in the corresponding fixture in Musgrave Park last November. Leo Cullen and Shane Jennings were strikingly prominent on that evening and they'll once again look to dominate the physical battle up-front. With Eddie O'Sullivan's international coaching term now a thing of the past, the majority of players on show will be determined to lay down a marker for any potential Irish coach who may be watching. The front-row of Stan Wright, Bernard Jackman and Ollie Le Roux have proved an unstoppable force all season and in front of a bumper home crowd at the RDS on Saturday evening this trio will attempt to stamp their mark on proceedings.

Injuries have hampered Leinster's preparations over the past fortnight. The world renowned pairing of Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy have been missing from first team action since limping out of Irish duty against Wales and Italy respectively in the recent Six Nations. Quite when both players will make their long awaited return has yet to be determined, but their absence from the blue jersey may prove detrimental to their title aspirations. In their absence the emerging talents of Rob Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald have shone brightly and this duo have seized their opportunities with both hands. Leinster's production line for talented outside backs shows no signs of seizing up.

Quite what side the visitors send onto the field for Saturday's game has yet to be seen. Obviously Declan Kidney will be anxious to continue his assault for silverware on two fronts. However the significance and importance placed behind the Heineken Cup far outweighs the equivalent attention given to the Magners League. Conscious of an arduous international season, and with the forthcoming European semi-final looming large, a number of high-profile players may well sit this one out. With the likes of Mick O'Driscoll, Donncha Ryan, Tony Buckley, Niall Ronan, Anthony Foley, Peter Stringer and Brian Carney all sitting out last weekend's starting fifteen, any changes that Kidney does make should have little or no consequence on Munster's overall performance. This is without doubt the strongest squad ever assembled in the history of the province and with momentum behind them, they may just possess enough in the tank to throw the race for this season's Magners League wide-open on Saturday evening.

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