Munster v Llanelli Lansdowne Road, 5.30Alan Gaffney would be loath to allow the occasion descend into a maudlin homily but he may have no choice in the matter.
It'll be the Munster coach's final game at the helm before he returns to Australia and takes up an appointment with the national side under the Eddie Jones regime. Gaffney will be missed on and off the pitch.
There will be plenty of rugby folk, and not only in Munster, hoping his team can provide him with a fitting swan-song. He has impacted in a very positive way on the players who have come under his care, teaching them with a sense of humour as well as a sharp footballing brain. The affection in which he is held is evidence. That applies also to those who have dealt with Gaffney on any level. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word.
Llanelli, though, won't wish to follow the script. Celtic League champions last season in succession to Munster, they relinquished their crown this year to the Ospreys, but exacted a measure of revenge in beating the latter in the Celtic Cup semi-final. It is a trophy neither side has won and today probably represents a last chance to do so, given the uncertain future of the tournament.
Despite losing their last three games in the league the Welsh side have shown excellent form in their two cup matches, thumping Gwent Dragons on their own patch before edging past Ospreys, a feat few have managed this season.
Ireland's Simon Easterby leads the team literally as well as figuratively from blindside flanker.
Llanelli have a powerful and experienced pack emboldened by figures like tighthead prop John Davies and secondrows Vernon Cooper - restored to the team - and Chris Wyatt.
Ceiron Thomas has proved a reliable place-kicking option at outhalf while there is pace aplenty in the backline.
The fleet-footed Tal Selley - three tries in the competition to date - has been named in the centre ahead of the more straight-running Salesi Finau.
Llanelli will look to get the ball wide, seeking contact points away from the Munster pack and close to the touchlines.
Munster welcome back Ronan O'Gara, restored to the starting line-up after recovering from a knee injury sustained against the Dragons on March 25th.
Paul Burke has been a capable deputy but Gaffney explained, "It goes without saying that it's great to have Ronan back in the squad. He has made a full recovery and we did think about playing him last week against Leinster, but in the end deemed it prudent to give him that extra bit of time.
"Paul Burke has done a great job for us in Ronan's absence. Besides everything else his penalty last week proved crucial and throughout the season he has played a crucial part in what has been a very good season for Munster."
John Kelly's facial injuries mean Paul Devlin will start on the right wing.
Munster were typically obdurate against Leinster, but were undoubtedly fortunate with a few refereeing decisions.
They'll need another big effort, perhaps embellished with a little more fluency. Donncha O'Callaghan was quiet by his standards last week, and there'll be pressure on the backrow to conjure a more game-breaking impact. Anthony Foley was the only one of the trio to hit normal heights last week.
An illustration of the how little room there is for sentiment in professional sport is the presence of Jim Williams (fit again) in the stands. Denis Leamy wins the spot on the bench and will surely make an impact at some stage.
The demands imposed on Munster in recent years prior to every game haven't changed. The pack need to outmuscle their direct opponents and provide the go-forward platform.
O'Gara will look to dictate territory and punish opposition transgressions. These are not negotiable if Munster are to prevail.
Forget about the alleged merits or demerits of the tournament; this is a special occasion. To tweak a sentiment made famous by Ronald Reagan during his acting days (that's prior to the White House), Munster will want to "win one for the Gaffer".
MUNSTER: S Payne; P Devlin, M Mullins, R Henderson, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, A Quinlan, D Wallace, A Foley (capt). Replacements: J Flannery, G McIlwham, T Hogan, D Leamy, M Prendergast, P Burke, J Storey.
LLANELLI SCARLETS: B Davies; G Evans, M Watkins, T Selley, A Havili; C Thomas, D Peel; P John, M Rees, J Davies, V Cooper, C Wyatt, S Easterby (capt ), G Thomas, A Powell. Replacements: D Maddocks, A Gravelle, A Jones, G Quinnell, M Phillips, G Bowen, S Finau.
Referee: Joel Jutge (France)
Head-to-head (Recent meetings) - September 2003 (CL) at Thomond Park: Munster 12 Llanelli Scarlets 19; February 2004 (CL) at Stradey Park: Llanelli Scarlets 37 Munster 20; October 2004 (CL) at Thomond Park: Munster 19 Llanelli Scarlets 13; January 2005 (CL) at Stradey Park: Llanelli Scarlets 32 Munster 17.
Paths to the final: Munster bt Edinburgh 24-14 (h); bt Leinster (a) 23-17. Llanelli bt Dragons (a) 49-19; bt Ospreys (h) 23-15.
Leading points scorers: Munster - Paul Burke 22. Llanelli - Ceiron Thomas 29.
Leading try scorers: Munster - Anthony Foley 2. Llanelli - Tal Selley 3.
Verdict: Munster.
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