Anaconda's strength v cheetah's pace

Matt Williams Rugby Analyst: I'm going to offer a snapshot of my time immersed in the rivalry between Leinster and Munster and what, as an Australian and ostensibly an outsider, I gleaned from watching it up close and personal.

I was fortunate during my time in the country to also coach the Ireland A side and I can't speak highly enough of the Munster players who came under my temporary care.

To a man they were superb to work with and brought ability and enthusiasm to the training paddock and pitch come game time. I'm glad I got the chance to work with them even if in a limited capacity. They also showed me just why Munster have managed to sustain their remarkable run in European competition and be regarded as the benchmark for Leinster and their aspirations.

My first Leinster v Munster game in 1999 was played before about 800 spectators, what seems like a ludicrous figure when set against tomorrow's sell-out 49,000 crowd. It does serve to highlight the growth in the rivalry between the respective sets of players since that day.

I had been in the country for about two days and didn't do any coaching prior to the match. I was taken to Kiely's, in the company of Malcolm O'Kelly and Mike Ruddock, after a match that Munster won well. Anthony Foley came over and laughing said, "We'll see you in Bucharest."

It was a reference to the fact that Leinster could end up playing in the Challenge Cup the following season.

It wasn't said in a malicious or aggressive way, but it struck a chord with me. I pinned it to a few dressingroom walls during my time as Leinster coach when we were due to face Munster. Whenever I wanted to draw a reaction from the players I repeated the phrase. I used to emphasise the fact that, in making the comment, Munster had no respect for Leinster - the Dublin 4 strollers, the underachievers.

Munster regarded themselves as the hard country boys. They are Ireland's team, loved by the nation. They are considered to engender all the qualities that Irish people love in their sporting heroes; valiant, hard-nosed, uncompromising with a never-say-die spirit and the mental strength to defy the odds. Even when Munster don't win a match, it's a failure that's regarded as heroic.

In contrast, Leinster are considered as moneyed, slightly prima-donna-ish and don't command anything like the same affection with neutrals. When they lose a big game they are seen as flaky and weak, castigated mercilessly, something I discovered when Leinster lost that Heineken European Cup semi-final against Perpignan at Lansdowne Road.

Munster set the standard, the example, and it was they who dragged Leinster up, who chivvied the latter into improving themselves as a team.

I don't know whether it was down to envy, ego or a single-minded competitiveness, but Leinster finally drew a line in the sand.

They weren't going to give in, didn't want to be considered second best or second rate, and that culminated in winning the Celtic League final against Munster at Lansdowne Road. I think that was the occasion when they finally banished the snide comments about being soft or lacking the mental edge.

During my time we lost the first game against Munster and then won two matches and drew another two. It was the Celtic League match that was a catalyst, a change in how the rivalry was perceived. It is a huge compliment to Munster, whose achievements inspired Leinster to go out and chase their own dreams.

It's funny, but the rivalry between Munster and Leinster has driven Irish rugby forward at a rate of knots and their current status in the world game owes a great deal to the edge between the two provinces in their quest to outdo one another.

I think Michael Cheika and David Knox deserve massive credit for reviving Leinster rugby they way they have done. They have unshackled a back line, infused confidence and then sat back and watched Leinster rip Toulouse to shreds when it mattered. It was an extraordinary performance and a marvellous occasion.

Declan Kidney is a great coach, another person for whom I have a huge regard, and I have first-hand knowledge of his great attention to detail.

This game could rival that Celtic League final, which produced a wonderful game and not just because Leinster won. I think the winner on Sunday will take the European Cup, probably beating Biarritz in the final.

There are so many ancillary issues in tomorrow's match, but it is reasonable to expect the teams to play true to form. Munster remind me of an anaconda. They attack in a vicious and brutal way, pin you down and then squeeze the life out of you. You suffocate under the pressure.

Leinster remind me of a cheetah, so quick to strike that you almost don't see it coming.

Munster have dominated in the last few years, but I feel that Leinster are finally back to a place where they compete once again on an even keel.

Munster must keep a stranglehold on the game for the full 80 minutes, but if they loosen that grip - they have been unable to sustain it in every game - Leinster have the wherewithal to rack up points in double-quick time.

It's going to be incredibly close and, let us hope, a classic.