New dynamic as former European greats Munster and Saracens clash at Thomond Park

Once upon a time, Munster v Saracens would have been the marquee game of the weekend, but things have changed on Champions Cup Mountain.

It certainly appears, despite the European pedigree, that their combined tally of five titles won't be growing this season.

Few pundits or fans seem to be spending any serious time considering either of these teams when it comes to who will lift the trophy in the Principality Stadium at the end of May, a strange enough take on two sides who won their respective domestic titles the season before last.

In stark contrast to how eliminations in the pool or knockout stages would have been seen a decade ago, if and when these teams depart, there won’t be any outrage or consternation, merely acceptance that they are not currently mixing it with the heavyweights: Leinster, Toulouse and La Rochelle.

While Ulster were the first province to win the Heineken Cup back in 1999, it was Munster who captured the public’s imagination as the competition took off in popularity in the noughties.

Heart-breaking semi-final and final losses leading up to two memorable title campaigns in 2006 and 2008 created a red army, and Munster and European rugby became synonymous.

Then a steady decline.

Munster have lost seven semi-finals, two quarters, three last-16 games and failed to qualify for the knockouts on four occasions since that famous victory over Toulouse in the 2008 decider.

This downward trajectory crossed paths with today's opponents as they were on the way up.

After the Toulon triple crown between 2013 and 2015, Sarries won three of the next four titles to establish themselves as top dogs, while they also picked up four Premiership titles between 2015 and 2019.

While there’s an asterisk against the domestic