At the end of what seems like a never ending season the Guinness Pro 12 final is here, as Munster take on Glasgow Warriors who were beaten in last years decider by Leinster at the RDS.
The Celtic league/Magners League/Rabo Direct Pro 12 and Guinness Pro 12 has been through a few formats as the relatively young competition finds its feet in a world where it must accept its place as second fiddle, but that’s not to say it’s not a key member of the band.
If not reaching the Pro 12 semi-finals was not the main reason for Matt O’Connors departure from Leinster, it certainly was one of the contributors. The Ulster players looked shell-shocked as they left the pitch following last weeks defeat to Glasgow, missing out on a home final to add to their woes.
For Connacht, the competition took on something different this year as sixth place would have been enough to earn a spot in the Champions Cup on their own merits. However, they fell agonisingly short; but when was the last time Connacht had something to play for right up until the last day?
Maybe the new Champions Cup is bad for some Irish provinces, but it came with a silver lining for Connacht who go into next season knowing that reaching the top tier though the secondary competition is realistic even if winning the Pro 12 or a top four finish is beyond them.
As fun as it was for Pat Lam's side beating French teams in dramatic Challenge Cup games, the Pro 12 is the premier competition. Spend a match in the Clan Terrace as I have this season and that point will become very clear.
That brings us to Munster - three times winner of this competition whose run to the final has provided a soft landing to their fall from the Champions cup in the pool stages.
It is merely a sticking plaster though, and given the choice, Munster fans would much rather be perennial Champions Cup contenders than regular Pro 12 winners.
If you offered most Reds supporters a Champions Cup semi-final spot at the start of most seasons, even if that meant missing out on the Pro 12 play-offs, I’m sure they’d take the European final four every time.
The bonus of reaching the final is obvious - it creates a feel-good factor around a season that started badly with the release of “that email” and peaked with European nightmares against Saracens away and Clermont at home, although there were good days in between against Sale and Edinburgh.
Being out of Europe also afforded Antony Foley the chance to unearth some gems, using 50 players along the road to Belfast. The benefits of that are obvious, and those far more qualified than I can tell you who’s impressed and why.
But whether it’s a win or loss in Belfast the Reds march into the 2015/16 season with momentum safe in the knowledge there are those who can step up while several players go missing for the World Cup. That’s not to say it’s all good - Paul O’Connell will be missing for the first time in 14 seasons and the turnaround from World Cup to Champions Cup will be short depending on how far we go.
Like it or not, real fans aren’t enough to fill a stadium. To grow and evolve you need event junkies and bandwagoners filling seats and buying shirts, and the only way to get them is a European run. A win tomorrow would help but Munster won’t be back in the promised land until they’re back in the final four of Europe’s elite.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
