Almost time!
Derek Foley share his thoughts ahead of this evening's game: I haven't been more excited about an inter-pro for a long time and it's easy to feel the mood among the supporters here and here abouts.
Thought 'The 55' looked particularly inviting along the way. But I also got a text from my Terenure RFC spy who tells me Ballsbridge looks particularly green-bedecked. There is a considerable Western presence, as the guards might say, in the vicinity.
Connacht don't often come mob-handed to these surrounds - with the exception, I suppose, of Dano Heaslip and Eric Elwood's famous 2003 march and besieging of the capital to demand the IRFU stand down their plans to defund and disband the club.
But given the side Pete Wilkins has slated to start, he has all hands on the deck and in thinking Leo Cullen would rotate heavility, the shrewd Connacht coach was hoping the pragmatic Leinster would go a player or two too far.
Cullen was open enough when I suggested to him on Friday that Connacht were coming after them - 'They all are, and all the time' he replied dryly.
Certainly Wilkins firing Ireland stars Bundee Aki, Matt Hansen and Finlay Bealham in to start along with having imports Josh Ioane, Piers O'Connor and Shane Hurley-Langtonthere too is aligning their stars.
Of the 'locals', if centre Cathal Forde holds up his season's form it should be a Six Nations squad pointer; scrum-half Ben Murphy, posting himself as one to watch in recent weeks, gets his test; while Dave Heffernan should be still mulling over not being capped in November.
Then there is the unbelievably under-rated Josh Murphy, Cian Prendergast and Paul Boyle and I've mentioned a dozen players without tripping...
Cullen's defence is light when looked at in one way, he dropped out 10 of his starters against Clermot - they are not even in the match day squad.
Leo's gambit, almost a follow-the-money one, is equally fascinating.
Jimmy O'Brien, Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath, Jack Conan and Gus McCarthy are the only Ireland/ex-Ireland players in the team and while I'll not insult intuitive try-scorer Scott Penny by calling him a novice, that still leaves six lightly-raced Leinster players.
Cullen expects his foreign imports to lead, galvanise and be the tonic for troops and it is hard to argue that France's Rabah Slimani, Springbok RG Snyman and Jordie Barrett are reasons to watch the game, alone.
Connacht are 5/1 outsiders.
