The domestic season may be over but rugby fans across Europe will be challenged to keep up with the volume of test matches over the next three weeks as end-of-term tours come sharply into focus.

On Saturday, Leinster not only bring the curtain down on the domestic rugby season but also on the longest goodbye the game in this country has ever seen when Brian O’Driscoll lines out as a professional rugby player for the last time.

It feels strange for the Millennium Stadium to host a Heineken Cup decider this weekend without an Irish province in sight. Of the 18 finals to date, Cardiff has staged six, including the first two in 1996 and 1997 won by Toulouse and Brive respectively.

With just 14 Tests left to play before Ireland open their World Cup campaign against Canada at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on September 19, 2015, Joe Schmidt will take great care in selecting his squad for the forthcoming series against Argentina.

The ineptitude of the Edinburgh challenge in front of their home support on Saturday evening highlights one of the biggest challenges facing the Irish provinces in the future.

It says everything about the way rugby is going that the first person to occupy a seat on the top table at the Toulon post-match press conference after Sunday’s semi-final was club owner Mourad Boudjellal. Even Roman Abramovich wouldn’t chance that after a Chelsea victory.

For three seasons this Munster squad have lived in the shadow of past glories. A win tomorrow would cement their place in the storied history of the province. They need to buy into that possibility, says Donal Lenihan, as he identifies three areas where Rob Penney’s men must excel

In a market that is set to become even more competitive given increased revenues from their domestic and European broadcast deals, the English and French clubs are set to make life a lot more difficult for the Irish provinces.

Having already lost inspirational captain Peter O’Mahony for the business end of the season, Rob Penney will be mindful of making sure his key personnel are fresh and raring to go when Munster set out to upset the odds once again by toppling Heineken Cup champions Toulon in Marseille on Sunday week.

A fairytale finish to what has been an amazing season for Irish rugby was blown off course on a weekend from which Munster are the sole survivor on the European front.