The Leinster v Munster rivalry returns on Saturday at Croke Park (5.15pm) and not a moment too soon. If not quite the panacea for all ills, then matches between the two have ticked more boxes than any other Irish rugby fixture in the professional era.
Below Test level, Leinster v Munster has been the driver of Irish professional rugby and it has backboned the success of the Irish team, with Munster’s dominance and successes in Europe inspiring Leinster’s determination to emulate, then usurp, them.
It is guaranteed to be the biggest attendance for each province, with both accommodating the other to ensure it is Leinster’s marquee home fixture in the first half of the season – all the more so since European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) trimmed away the traditional opening two Champions Cup rounds in October. In turn, Leinster travel to Limerick every Christmas for the one Thomond Park sell-out of nearly 27,000 every season.
After the customary slow start, the first meeting has in effect k
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