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This weekend is likely to have a defining character when it comes to deciding which Irish provinces make it to the Heineken Cup knockout stages.
Munster are under severe pressure as they face Perpignan this Sunday at Thomond Park.
On Off The Ball's Wednesday Night Rugby, The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley told the lads that Munster have no room for error after losing to Edinburgh.
"They should never have lost to Edinburgh. That can happen with a younger team and they've given themselves no elbow room because it looked the most winnable of their three away games. Not only do they have to beat Perpignan at home, they may have to beat them away."
But Thornley believes Paul O'Connell's presence on the field will give Munster hope and set the tone.
However, he warned that Munster will be over-dependent on Damien Varley over the next few weeks and must contend with injuries to Mike Sherry, Donncha Ryan, Simon Zebo and Tommy O'Donnell.
Marty Moore ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Meanwhile, Leinster will not need to play "all singing, all dancing rugby" to beat Northampton according to Thornley, positing it as a "sleeves rolled up game".
Keith Wood was backing Leinster to progress from the pool stages when the double-header against the English side are out of the way. But he is very cautious about the head-to-head with Northampton.
"I think it is an incredibly important two weeks. The manner which Northampton have played this year the away game could be tough for Leinster. They need a bonus point at absolute minimum and they can't let the game get away from them. I think it's a very big ask to actually win but I can see them coming back to the Aviva and getting the win."
The lads also discussed the news that Leinster's 22-year-old tighthead prop Marty Moore is attracting major interest from teams in France and England.
Would a move benefit Ireland?
Thornley explained that the suitors are offering €100,000 more than Leinster are willing to pay but also wondered whether Moore is questioning if the grass is always greener especially when it comes to his ambitions to wear the green shirt of Ireland.
"It looks like he's going to stay which is good news for Leinster ," he said.
©INPHO/James Crombie
