Leinster face a tough month of knockout rugby, and now is the time for the other three Irish provinces to pounce, according to The Independent's Rúaidhrí O'Connor.
After dismantling Toulouse in the Heineken Champions Cup semi final on Saturday, Leinster's reward is to tackle Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle in Dublin on May 20th.
However, in between now and then Leo Cullen's men will have to switch focus back to the United Rugby Championship, where they face a home run to a potential final.
Standing in their immediate way, though, is the Cell C Sharks on Saturday. Leinster are favourites for that game, as they breezed through the URC season until the final round, when an incredibly young and inexperienced side faced Leinster's largest ever defeat in Pretoria to the Bulls.
While many would argue the fact that Leinster remain in Dublin for the rest of the season takes the burden off of them somewhat, no one can argue that it is not difficult to fight knockout rugby on two fronts.
That's where the other Irish provinces step in.
Leinster will be vulnerable
All four Irish provinces are through to the URC quarter finals stage. Munster travel to Glasgow on Saturday night, while an all-Irish clash between Ulster and Connacht is on the card for Friday night in Belfast.
Although only two of the other three Irish provinces can make it past this weekend to potentially meet Leinster in future rounds, O'Connor believes Leo Cullen's men can be got at this month.
Speaking on Wednesday Night Rugby, O'Connor looked at the URC knockout games, and what might become of Leinster.
"You've got to think that Leinster will be vulnerable in the next four weeks," O'Connor said. "They want to win the double, but their priority is the Champions Cup.
"They've got to beat the Sharks this weekend, a week after they played Toulouse. Then, if they do that, they will be at home against either Munster or Glasgow.
"That's ripe for the picking. Glasgow, if they win, have the Challenge Cup final the following week, so they may do a bit of rotation as well.
"Munster now have [RG] Snyman and [Tadhg] Beirne available, which I think is a game changer for their pack. Munster, Connacht and Ulster all should be looking at this as a chance to knock Leinster off and get some silverware.
"Those opportunities are so rare, Leinster are so dominant."
Connacht can beat Ulster on Friday
O'Connor believes that Connacht have it in them to grab the scalp of Ulster in Ravenhill, as the spectre of Belfast no longer hangs over Andy Friend's chargers.
"For Connacht, they've nearly everyone fit," O'Connor said. "They just went to Glasgow, who had a really good team, and nearly beat them away from home.
"Before that, they'd won four or five on the trot. They're playing some good rugby. They have won in Ravenhill under Andy Friend in recent memory.
"So, there is a version of this game where Connacht concede penalties, Ulster kick to the corner and Tom Stewart scores maul tries. There's a version of this game where Connacht get it right, and Ulster don't have an awful lot beyond that.
"I think Ulster are playing a 2019 game of rugby now. They haven't moved on in the way that Ireland have in terms of getting the wingers onto the ball.
"If Connacht can deal with that, stay disciplined and keep the ball on the pitch, it is there for them. But it is a big ask."
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