Joe Schmidt is delighted that the end of the club season has thrown up great opportunities for players to impress ahead of Ireland’s summer tour.
Ireland will face Tests against the USA (10 June) and Japan (17, 24 June) but the touring party won’t have a number of front-line players due to the Lions trip to New Zealand.
This presents an opportunity for the fringe players to set out their stall, and unlike last season, there are two Irish provinces in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup.
The Munster and Leinster players involved will be showing their wares in elite company, while Ulster are hoping to be involved in the Pro12 play-offs and Connacht may face a Champions Cup play-off tie.
Schmidt is excited at the prospect, especially coming off the back of two inter-provincial derbies.
"There are some fantastic games coming up," Schmidt told RTÉ Sport.
"Leinster going to Galway to meet Connacht, and Ulster going away to Munster.
"They are a couple of great opportunities for us to watch players playing against each other.
"Then the following week, Munster in the Aviva against Saracens, and my old club Clermont playing my old club Leinster.
"[Clermont coach] Jono Gibbs having swapped sides from those clubs, there’s a heck of a lot of history between those two clubs.
"Every time they play, apart from once in my memory, it’s been a one-score game and they’ve been cracking games, and their supporters are some of the best supporters I’ve ever been associated with and Leinster supporters are exactly the same.
"I think the two groups of supporters, there’s a fair bit of camaraderie between them as well as that avid support for their home team."
Listen to Munster v Ulster (kick-off 3pm) live on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News Now app
