Provinces will struggle to get up to Euro speed

On Rugby: With Munster and Leinster having fed the Irish team a timely energiser on the eve of the Six Nations, the hope must be that the provinces will in turn feed off the goodwill generated by Ireland's Six Nations success. Except that history has taught us that it usually doesn't work like that.

There's no point in regurgitating the old beefs which the provinces harbour about their second-class treatment; suffice to say Munster and Leinster are far from the forces they were when memorably clinching their European Cup quarter-final places next Saturday with that double whammy over Sale and Bath on the third weekend in January.

One always knew it would pan out this way. Whereas Munster and Leinster have played only three games in the intervening nine weeks, their French opponents, Perpignan and Toulouse, have played six.

Furthermore, on four of those weekends they've had some input from their absentee internationals, whereas Munster and Leinster are renewing acquaintances with their frontline players.

One always felt Perpignan would look an altogether tougher proposition than might have been the case in the immediate euphoria of Munster's four-try victory over Sale which secured a "home" quarter-final.

Unlike Toulouse, the disruptions to Perpignan from the Six Nations have been minimal, with Scotland's Nathan Hines, David Marty (scorer of two tries against Ireland) and Perry Freshwater their only frontline absentees.

More pertinently, in the intervening nine weeks they've also had an extraordinary run of six games against their fellow European Cup qualifiers this season. After losing 17-3 away to Biarritz, they thrashed Castres 34-3 at Stade Aime Giral, won 20-15 away to Clermont Auvergne, picked up a bonus point in a 23-16 defeat at Stade Francais before beating Toulouse 15-3 at home, and last Saturday they ended Bourgoin's 47-match unbeaten home run dating back almost four years with an 18-15 victory.

Admittedly, Bourgoin had moved that game away from their Stade Pierre Rajon fortress to the bigger capacity of St Etienne's football ground but it was still quite an achievement by Perpignan.

It's true outhalf Nicolas Lahharague has been sidelined for over a fortnight with a torn shoulder sustained in Saturday's win, but former NSW player and Australian international Manny Edmonds, who played at outhalf against Toulouse, is a vastly experienced, ready-made alternative. Furthermore, gifted fullback Julien Lahharague, a revelation in his rookie Six Nations campaign last season, has returned from injury.

Where before the Catalans were totally reliant on their home form, they no longer suffer from travel sickness. This is probably down to a clever recruitment policy which has produced an Anglo-Saxon core of experienced players such as Edmonds, now in his fifth season with the club, Freshwater, Hines and the ex-All Black number eight Scott Robertson.

And they admit they are not as concerned about travelling to Lansdowne Road as they would be going to Limerick. And with good reason. Aside from Munster's unbeaten Euro pedigree in their Thomond fortress, Perpignan have lost to Munster in Limerick and Cork, whereas they beat Leinster in the semi-finals at Lansdowne Road three seasons ago.

Toulouse, it is true, were even more disrupted by the Six Nations than Leinster given Bernard Laporte drew heavily on their backs especially, and, of course, Gareth Thomas has been ruled out after his travails with Wales.

They have faltered after their barnstorming start to the season and went into last Friday night's rain-sodden derby at home to Agen on the back of three defeats in six Top 14 games. But these were all weekends that clashed with France games, and they returned to winning ways last Friday with a hard-earned 19-7 win which featured a try by Yannick Jauzion, now back to full fitness after missing the Six Nations.

At least it was a game, which is more than Leinster or Munster have had in the last three weeks, the Celtic League fixture list having given Leinster an idle weekend while the inclement vagaries of the weather in the valleys led to Munster's game against Llanelli being postponed.

In any event, it has reduced Declan Kidney's options in the light of Barry Murphy's enforced absence. In truth, Munster have no ready-made replacement for the player who has probably made the most difference to their game this season, and now Kidney has been denied the opportunity to try Tomás O'Leary in that role. What's more, Christian Cullen and Mike Mullins have been denied invaluable match time on their road back to full fitness.

At least Munster have had all but Anthony Foley of their numbers one to 10 ticking over for Ireland. Talking to one Leinster international about last season's quarter-final thumping at home to Leicester, he maintained that the greater problem was getting the non-internationals back up to speed.

And in a Sunday newspaper interview Felipe Contepomi bemoaned the loss of Messrs O'Driscoll, D'Arcy, Horgan and O'Kelly. "They come in with their head full of other patterns for the last nine weeks and it's difficult to switch them on."

They'll be two great occasions. Munster and their red army will light up Lansdowne Road with a sea of colour and song like it hasn't seen since, well, they lost to Wasps there two seasons ago, and before that Ulster in the 1999 final.

For Leinster, the unprecedented 5,000 travelling support could be the catalyst for something special. But it's a pity they're not both better set.