Leinster fans - for one match at least - may not agree, but one of the great joys of European rugby this season has been the resurgence of Toulouse as a major force.

Mike Haley has a debt of gratitude to Danny Cipriani for the mentoring he provided the full-back as a young professional in the Sale Sharks academy. Now on opposing teams, the Munster full-back knows just how dangerous he will be for Gloucester at Kingsholm tomorrow night, should the fly-half pass a fitness test today.

For all the buzz generated by an exciting bonus-point derby victory over Connacht last week, Peter O’Mahony’s return to the fray also coincided with a return to Munster basics.

Munster took pole position of Conference A in the Guinness PRO14 on Saturday night as they scored a bonus-point victory against interprovincial rivals Connacht and banished their poor away form.

Beating Leinster may have been one hell of a way to end 2018 but Munster have to start the new year with equally pressing obstacles to clear, beginning tonight against Connacht.

“They hurt us when we were down there in Thomond Park, and there were a few young fellas playing who didn’t get the best experience of representing their province.”

Round four of Heineken Champions Cup action, coming as it does before the Christmas break, is crucial in so many ways, writes Donal Lenihan.

Here's your morning bulletin.

Conor Murray may be frustrated he missed Ireland’s historic victory over the All Blacks last month but he has no regrets he took the time to properly rehab his neck injury.

While Simon Zebo was impressing once again for Racing 92, his replacement Mike Haley continued his progression with a strong showing for Munster in their victory over Castres on Sunday.

Munster head coach Johann Van Graan hailed his side's second-half display as they secured a 30-5 win over Castres Olympique in their Heineken Champions Cup clash at Thomond Park.

If anyone in Munster underestimates the importance of a successful December in fulfilling European ambitions then the dark days of 2014 and 2015 should provide the necessary jolt.

THAT was a game Munster will be glad to have put behind them. Johann van Graan’s side will attack with relish preparations for this Saturday’s visit of Gloucester, after returning home from a daunting, Heineken Champions Cup pool opener, at Exeter Chiefs, with a lot more than expected.

His career as a water carrier brought to an ignominious end by the arrival of defence coach JP Ferreira, Tyler Bleyendaal must content himself with a return to the day job, delighted to be free of the neck injury which had left him such a frustrated figure on the Munster sidelines.

Munster’s planning for a Zebo-less future has solidified with new contracts for Andrew Conway and Stephen Fitzgerald confirmed and a first start of the season for the latter in this evening’s Guinness PRO14 trip to Cardiff Blues.

Hooker Niall Scannell is just one of a number of Munster players placing more importance than usual on Saturday night’s Guinness PRO14 clash with Zebre at Thomond Park.

Jack Conan doesn’t so much speak as project his voice around the room.

Leinster already stand as clear favourites for this year’s Champions Cup honours but Robbie Henshaw believes the province needs to make an even bigger statement away to Montpellier tomorrow afternoon.

Locking down Keith Earls to a new contract that keeps him in Munster until after the 2019 World Cup was a piece of savvy business Lansdowne Road mightn’t have got due credit for, says Ronan O’Gara.

Girvan Dempsey sat on the bench in Murrayfield the day Leinster claimed a first Heineken Cup.

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony, an injury doubt for Sunday’s Champions Cup clash with Castres, says he and his squad will stand by Gerbrandt Grobler, as the debate continues over the decision to sign a player who served a two-year doping ban.

Defeat at the death in the first Champions Cup game at the new indoor U Arena means Munster lead Pool 4 by a single point from Racing going into the final round of matches.

Munster boss Johann van Graan has challenged his forwards to reach for new heights this weekend in order to counter a Racing 92 lineout defence he rates as second only to the All Blacks.

Leinster are the team to beat, the No. 1 in Europe’s power rankings. And Munster are No. 2, writes Ronan O’Gara.

Leicester Tigers head coach Matt O’Connor does not believe his side needs to record a bonus-point victory over Munster this weekend to keep their Champions Cup hopes alive.

Joey Carbery won’t be leaving Leinster anytime soon.

Despite having watched a couple of French front rows disappear into his rearview mirror, Munster prop Stephen Archer is not expecting any reduction in intensity tomorrow when the Guinness PRO14 campaign resumes with a trip to interprovincial rivals Connacht.

Munster 14 Racing 7: Heart, guts, belief. Rassie Erasmus neatly summarised the attributes in the Munster squad that he hands over to Johann van Graan over the next month or so and which his successor saw at first hand on an archetypal European night at Thomond Park.

After an absorbing but scoreless first 60 minutes, the game shifted gears as Conor Murray charged down a Maxime Machenaud kick from the back of a Racing scrum

Leinster see six changes to their side while Munster make three changes.

Anthony Foley’s aura will be all around Thomond Park tomorrow, says Ronan O’Gara.

Billy Holland knows Munster will need to take heed of the French lessons learned in Castres two days ago as they look ahead to another, tougher, Gallic test on Saturday.

Rassie Erasmus has again insisted that the projected date of his return home to South Africa from Munster has not been decided.

Munster’s Champions Cup opener in France tomorrow will, in one respect, bring the province full circle, 22 years after they embarked on an inaugural European adventure.

CJ Stander may be Munster’s go-to ball carrier but he takes exception to Leinster head coach Leo Cullen’s analysis that if you stop him, you stop the reds in their tracks.

One of the key Castres players hoping to plot a shock win over Munster on Sunday in the opening round of the Champions Cup grew up in South Africa with Rassie Erasmus as one of his childhood heroes.

Munster have received a welcome boost ahead of Sunday’s Champions Cup opener at Castres with Rassie Erasmus giving positive fitness updates on Jean Kleyn and Simon Zebo.

Leinster 23 Munster 17: To listen to Rassie Erasmus on Saturday evening in the aftermath of a fourth Aviva Stadium defeat in 12 months, you might have thought it was Leinster rather than Munster with plenty to put right heading into next week’s Champions Cup pool stages.