Leinster and Ulster rivalry ready to ignite at RDS

In the immediate aftermath of their 27-5 defeat to Leinster in the final of the Pro14 in 2020, Dan McFarland admitted the gap between the champions and the rest of the league seemed to be growing bigger and bigger.

"They look further away now that they did this morning, and that's worrying," he said with a nervous laugh.

But in the two years since, that gap has closed. The introduction of the South African franchises to the URC has shaken things up and provided a different type of challenge to Leinster, who saw their run of four titles in a row ended by the Stormers last summer.

And while Ulster’s title challenge also fell short in South Africa, they did prove last season that there is no longer a fear-factor around playing Leinster.

It’s been a slow-build for Ulster since McFarland took over in 2018, the province having dealt with poor performance on the pitch and controversy off it, which saw them labelled a "basket case" by former Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll at the time.

And while the Ulster progress has been incremental each year under McFarland, the differences across a four-year span are significant.

When they meet at the RDS tonight (7.35pm), it has the makings of the season’s biggest game to date; the top two in the table, loaded with Ireland internationals, and their full-blooded derby from September still fresh in the memory.

And with their last four meetings shared two apiece, and all four being decided by 10 points or fewer, it’s a rivalry that’s ready to ignite.

"Ulster and Leinster have become the crunch Interpro now," said former Ireland head coach Eddie O’Sullivan on the RTÉ Rugby podcast.

"It used to be Leinster and Munster, but I don’t think you can say that anymore. The Leinster-Ulster games are the crunch