In the red corner, Munster, the champions and powerhouses of European rugby, while in the black corner are the challengers, Edinburgh – gradually rising up through the rankings to become certified contenders; it promises to be a memorable night of rugby at Musgrave Park, Cork (Friday 19 February, kick off 8pm, live on Setanta Ireland).

The squad have now flown over the Irish Sea and are busy preparing for the first step towards the Grand Final. With just seven matches remaining, Edinburgh realise that the team need to start delivering and taking care of business at the business end of the season. Munster have selected some big name players – expensive imports, Doug Howlett and Jean de Villiers plus experienced scrum half Peter Stringer – while Edinburgh have chosen a blend of youth and experience with Jim Hamilton returning after his heroics in Cardiff.

Munster: D Hurley; D Howlett, L Mafi, J de Villiers, I Dowling; P Warwick, P Stringer; M Horan, D Fogarty, T Buckley; D Ryan, M O'Driscoll capt; A Quinlan, N Ronan, J Coughlan. Replacements: M Sherry, J Brugnaut, B Holland, T O'Donnell, D Williams, S Deasy, T Gleeson.
Edinburgh: B Cairns, M Robertson, N De Luca, J Houston, T Visser, D Blair, G Laidlaw (capt), K Traynor, A Kelly, G Cross, J Hamilton, S MacLeod, A MacDonald, R Grant, D Callam. Replacements: R Grant, A Jacobsen, C Hamilton, F McKenzie, M Blair, R Hutton, S Webster.