Emmet Moloney writes for the 'The Irish Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

In case you haven’t noticed, rugby is back. And to concentrate our minds, Munster travel to the RDS this Saturday evening to take on the European champions. Emmet Moloney can’t wait...

Saturday’s match will certainly whet the appetite for the season ahead. It will also give both Munster and Leinster a chance to lay down a marker for their Heineken Cup campaigns, which start just one week later. But of course there’s a little bit more to it than that.

Munster and Leinster is now the main fixture for both sets of supporters – be it Magners League or Heineken Cup. The Irish bragging rights have become very tribal in recent years and right now the east coast holds the upper hand. Munster can’t let that continue. Saturday is bigger for them. For that reason we would suspect a red win.

It won’t change what happened in Croke Park just about five months ago. On that day the blue team stood up and laid many ghosts to rest. They are now European champions and heading into a season with expectations that might (or might not) suit them.

Let’s take Leinster first. Can they regain the Cup? Will they remain the best team in Ireland? Having tipped them last year we can conclusively say no to both questions this term. Not a chance.
Munster, on the other hand, have points to prove and this makes them dangerous. And now they have added the Springbok De Villiers to their mix. But back to Leinster. They haven’t a chance this year. And the reason for this now rests in the southern hemisphere: Rocky Elsom. He is irreplaceable. The Aussies thought so, too – that’s why he is back at home.

We can only imagine what Leinster offered him to stay – probably O’Driscoll-type money. And he is worth it. What Brian O’Driscoll was to Ireland’s Grand Slam victory last season, Rocky Elsom was that and more to Leinster. They have recruited Nathan Hines to replace him, but big, strong and feisty though he is, he is no Rocky.

Now and again a player comes along that for some reason puts a team over the top. Rocky Elsom was that and without him Leinster revert to the team they were pre-Rocky: inconsistent and suspect in the pack. The undeniable talent of their backs needs a dominant forward division. They will win their share of matches and at home will be exceptionally hard to beat, but away from home is when they will really miss Rocky.

I know what you are thinking: it is ridiculous to suggest that one man in a 15-man team makes such a difference and can’t be replaced. There’s no such thing as a one-man team, etc. Of course you are right, but Rocky was the exception to prove the rule.

Leinster might scrape out of their Heineken Cup group, but Brive, London Irish and the Scarlets are no mugs. Leinster play Brive away from home on October 17 and that game could define their season. In the old days this was a match that was lost. Those days could be here again.

Back to Munster. The Men in Red have some motivation this year. Maybe the Grand Slam blunted some of their hunger because they should have seen Leinster’s ambush coming that day in Croke Park. This is some bunch of men for putting the record straight. The Heineken Cup is their main aim and that’s where all the focus will lie. Apart from when they are playing Leinster!

The most fascinating battle that awaits us in the RDS on Saturday evening is the one between Ronan O’Gara and Johnny Sexton, if both men are selected. Sexton was a star turn for Leinster last year and looks the most likely to succeed O’Gara in the Irish number 10 shirt. He is an exciting player who can run, kick and tackle. He is more physical than O’Gara and has that touch of arrogance the great out-halves always have.

If this was Wales, Sexton would be in the Irish team by now – ahead of O’Gara. But Declan Kidney doesn’t do risks like this. Besides, he knows O’Gara of old. People point to the brave move Kidney made back when he was Munster coach when he dropped Peter Stringer for Tomás O’Leary. A risk to many, it wasn’t to Kidney. He had known and coached O’Leary for years. He knew he was ready and he trusted him. You get the feeling that Kidney doesn’t trust Sexton yet. The jersey is still Ronan’s.
Just as well, too, because Ronan O’Gara is going to have a great year. He does this. He gets in hot water and then he steps up and delivers to remind us all why we love the mischievous little devil. South Africa ran him over to clinch the Test series in the summer and Sexton is breathing down his neck for the international shirt. Watch him go this Saturday.

And watch Sexton and O’Gara interact. It would appear they don’t like each other and on the field it is obvious. They have exchanged words on occasion and, let’s be honest, they both fancy themselves a little bit. On Saturday, young Johnny will want to send a message and the easiest way to do that is to run over Ronan. He’s big enough and bold enough to do it.

This game isn’t ideal for our provinces, being one week from Heineken Cup action. So despite our best hopes, McGahan and Cheika might rest key players. Walking wounded the week of a Heineken Cup match is not what they want. The players on the field, however, will be giving it everything.

The evenings are getting shorter. Sam Maguire and Liam McCarthy are back in their traditional homes. It’s time for nights packed into the RDS and Thomond Park. There is no way we could have a year like last year, could we?

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