Whatever way Leinster's season finishes, it feels like these last two games will be referenced in the retrospective analysis.
If Leo Cullen’s side finish with a trophy – or two – this pair of comeback wins against Leicester Tigers and Ulster will be hailed as the turning points of the campaign; a week in which the province rolled up their sleeves and turned two likely defeats into two important wins.
If they end the season empty-handed, it will be further proof that their killer instinct has deserted them. We’ll revisit that in June.
For now, they’re still struggling to move through the gears.
They haven’t been beaten since that humbling defeat to Munster at Croke Park in October, but they haven’t had that statement win, and with such a heavy representation in the Ireland squad, it’s understandable to include that block of games in the overall picture.
They don't seem to be in any denial about where their game is currently at, though.
Leo Cullen was measured in his analysis of Friday night's 24-20 win against Ulster at Aviva Stadium, pleased with the five points and the attitude, but insistent that they need to get "a hell of a lot better".
The hope within the four walls at their URC base is that unlike previous years, where they have blown the doors off the opponents all season, only to run out of juice after the clocks turn back, slow and steady could win this race.
"You want to be able to show a bit of character and a bit of fight and a bit of dog and I thought we did that in spades today," Jack Conan (below) said after Friday night’s win.
"We made hard work of it. A tough, tough 80 minutes. It was great though, you never want it your own way.
"It's brilliant to have a proper, proper test, a proper physical game for 80 minutes, to be pushed. You learn a lot about yourself, about the character of individuals in the team.
"And it's great to see the fight in everyone that, even when we're down at half time, you know, there's a calmness and just an eagerness to keep on going and not panic."
The difference between the sides on the night came down to the benches.
Ulster were 17-7 in front early in the second half when Cullen called Joe McCarthy, Paddy McCarthy, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong into the game, and they wrestled back control against Richie Murphy’s side, who defended for their lives but ultimately couldn’t keep swimming against a blue tide.
"It gives you such a lift, when you're blowing pretty hard at 50, 60 minutes, you see those lads coming on.
"It gives everyone a lift and we were playing on top, which is great. So credit to the lads, I thought they were brilliant.
"Well done to the coaches for putting them on the bench and making sure we bring the impact off them."
Conan had particular praise for the province's new 'Bash Brothers’.
"Paddy and Joe [McCarthy] don't know what they're going to do, they're just kind of in their own realm, you know what I mean?
"You have a little shape set up and then Joe or Paddy are just gone off and doing their own thing and they've made a few yards and they're just mullicking around the place, which is great, because you want to be a bit unpredictable.
"I think we're guilty times of being a bit ‘same’, you know? You can kind of see what we're doing.
"And then those two behemoths just kind of do their own thing, make a little break and, you know, you can play off the cuff because we've got the players to do it. So it's great."
After two Friday night games, Leinster now have an extra day to prepare over Christmas for their annual 27 trip to Thomond Park, where Cullen will rotate his side again, with some of his internationals set to return and others – like Conan – given a rest.
Andrew Porter looks set to return from injury, having taken part in Leinster’s warm-up on Friday night, but Garry Ringrose and RG Snyman are unlikely to be fit for next week in Limerick.
"I know we haven’t been at our best so far, but we are putting little bits together every week.
"If we keep working hard and keep on homing our habits on the basics of the game then it will come. There is too much quality in the playing group and the coaching staff for it not to. There is no sense of panic. Teams are good, they want to beat you.
"You want to be at your best every day but that’s not reality, that’s not life. It’s back to the drawing board for next week against Munster who we failed to flatter against the last time so we will have to be a hell of a lot better than that time," the Ireland international added.
