Leinster away will always be the yardstick by which Munster are measured, making Saturday's clash at the RDS a crucial fixture for Clayton McMillan’s side.
Munster sit second in the league table, only trailing the Stormers on points difference, whereas Leinster are lagging back in 10th after a tough opening trip to South Africa, without many of their international stars.
However, the table alone doesn’t tell the story of both teams' form.
McMillan will take pride in Munster’s best start for several seasons, but their attacking fluency has dipped slightly since the first round.
Leinster by contrast endured a poor start, but appeared to turn a corner with a sharp and clinical performance against the Sharks.
The opening weekends were played largely without any of the British and Irish Lions contingent, while both provinces gradually reintegrated their summer internationals. Selections have been rotated so far. This weekend seems to be the one where both teams have a chance to reintroduce all their top talents, before Andy Farrell names his next Irish squad, which will once again strip Leinster of many key starters.
Munster have shown real character in their last two rounds, though they’d rather not rely on those emotional reserves this early in the season, especially not against the likes of Cardiff and Edinburgh. Both challenged them in different ways and Munster will be satisfied to have ground out results with grit and determination as much as quality in attack.
Munster struggled with Edinburgh’s physicality. They failed to make a dent in their defensive line and were second best at the breakdown. Were it not for Edinburgh’s terrible discipline, the result could have mirrored last year’s loss to the Scots. Yet, without Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Tadhg Beirne and others, Munster found a way.
Youngsters such as Brian Gleeson and the returning Edwin Edogbo managed to find the gain line, along with Gavin Coombes. Munster managed to finish the game with a bonus-point win, thanks in large part to Tom Farrell - the standout performer, who unlocked the Edinburgh defence on three different occasions.
Twice with his footwork and offloading skills, while he sliced through the Edinburgh tacklers from a Tony Butler delayed pass.
This weekend, Munster’s centre partnership remains up in the air. Alex Nankivell is likely to start at inside centre, based on getting a rest last weekend. His partnership with Dan Kelly has been telepathic. Yet Tom Farrell’s form after Round 3 makes him almost undroppable.
Leinster, meanwhile, benefitted greatly from the return of several international players. At any level, the personnel matters. Many teams are doing variations of the same thing. Leinster have the quality of player to add an extra layer on to their attacking game, but it didn’t work out for them in the opening two weeks.
They rotated some positions but there were a few key additions to the squad that made the whole system tick that bit easier on Saturday evening.
Jamie Osborne remains effective no matter which number is on his back. His partnership with James Lowe gave Leinster an extra dimension in the back row. Fintan Gunne and Harry Byrne thrived behind that platform but you can’t take credit away from their performances either.
Up front, Ryan Baird, Josh Van Der Flier and Tadhg Furlong were some of the standout performers, while Paddy McCarthy and Alex Soroka had huge impacts on the game as well.
Leinster will have more of their tourists to reintegrate this week. Their quality allows them to layer further complexity into both attack and defence.
The Sharks were one dimensional last weekend, making it hard to get a read on the Leinster defence. However, Leinster smothered them and forced them into a kicking game where they didn’t get the rewards.
Any team playing against Leinster after their trip to South Africa would be looking to contest the ball in the air. However, this is one area that sometimes comes down to individual battles and skillsets. Osborne and Lowe bolstered Leinster’s back field in that area.
On the other side of the kick battle, Leinster varied their kicking game a lot, opting for the left foot of Gunne at times, but mostly using a run/kick option to manipulate the Sharks' back field or kicking off Harry Byrne to change the look of their contestable kicks.
Their attacking game looks to be evolving once more, breaking away from the norm yet again and finding ways to attack to the wider channels a bit more efficiently.
Munster’s unbeaten start shows promise, but their match points don’t reflect a true free-flowing performance. Leinster may trail on the table, yet momentum appears to be building. There’s no better platform for them than Munster at home.
Leinster are likely to have their strongest squad available for this fixture before losing key players again heading into the November series and then back to European action. Unfortunately for Munster they may catch Leinster at their peak.
Munster still have the potential to cause problems. A possible return for Craig Casey would be a huge boost, as well as his half-back connection with Jack Crowley. Munster have quality all over the pitch. Now is their chance to put it all together and reinforce their perfect start to the season.
Leinster away can be daunting, yet it’s a huge opportunity to show how serious they are under the new guidance of McMillan.
Edogbo’s return after a long-term injury will give Munster a different dynamic off the bench. Munster could do with his profile in the engine room and getting minutes under his belt is vital for the strength of their pack this season.
The Leinster-Munster rivalry could do with another Munster win. It’s hard to see anyone beating Leinster at home when their cavalry are back but Munster’s unbeaten run and growing confidence gives them every reason to believe they can claim a statement win in the capital.
