Technically, Munster have the least to play of the four Irish provinces this weekend. However today's concluding Pool B tie in the Stadio Plebiscito against Padova does offer Declan Kidney's men the chance to dislodge a considerable psychological monkey from their backs, maintain their winning role and probably give them a better chance of winning through to the semi-finals, which will be an open draw.

Although already through to the quarter-finals, and presuming Perpignan seal first place in the group and with it a home draw in the last eight by beating Neath, then a first ever Euro win on the road for Munster should at least secure a fifth-placed ranking for the quarter-final draw as the pick of the pool runners-up (provided they have a winning margin of at least six points more than whatever Ulster might achieve in Edinburgh).

With that would come a quarter-final away to Colomiers, generally regarded as eminently preferable to a trip to Stade Francais (the likely alternative for being ranked sixth) or Toulouse, or even a rematch with Perpignan given the old wounds between the two.

"We'd like to finish there (fifth) in the pecking order and have the psychological bonus of finishing with more points than Colomiers," admits Kidney, aware that avoiding Stade Francais is probably the best hope of progressing to the last four.

Given their run of just one defeat in eight games, Munster are the form province in Ireland and are probably the side with the requisite physical presence up front to compete with a French side in the quarter-finals.

"It's also important to keep up the winning habit, to keep us going during the five-week break before the quarter-finals," said Kidney.

The none source of concern for regular Munster watchers is the feeling that they are essentially a mood side, who rise to the big occasion. For all Kidney's mathematical machinations, this wouldn't seem the type of game likely to turn these mercurial Munster men on.

Of some consolation is the impression that the match means even less to Padova. Their coach, Vittorio Munari, explained that injuries have affected his frontrow and back-row selections, while Italy are playing Argentina in Piacenza at 3.0, and though this has meant no withdrawals from his squad, there is little local interest in the game.

"So there is not too much importance to this game. Even the players are not so concerned," he said yesterday. As for the notion of revenge for the result in Cork, Munari scoffed: "No, no. We cannot qualify and they already have. I think Munster will score a lot of points," he ventured. Surely he jests. "No, no. I am serious."

We shall see. Save for the 66 they conceded away to Perpignan, the 20 points Munster laboured to score in Musgrave Park in the original fixture was the most Padova have conceded.

Given Munster's own parsimony, Kidney's forecast of "a fairly tight scoring game" could be on the mark but, though the outcome technically means nothing, theoretically it could have quite an effect on their chances in the knockout stages.