Sunday start will help clear qualification picture for Munster

They call it European rugby’s graveyard shift, but such are the myriad permutations surrounding Heineken Cup qualification this week, that kicking off at 12.30pm on Sunday could well suit Munster down to the ground.

While Leinster, needing a victory over Ospreys at the RDS to win Pool 1, get the ball rolling on Friday, it will be almost 48 hours before they learn their quarter-final opponents — assuming they beat the Welsh region in Dublin, of course.

Munster, on the other hand, will kick off at Thomond Park on Sunday afternoon with a fair indication of whether they will be playing their last-eight knockout tie on the weekend of April 4/5/6 back in Limerick or further afield.