The Pro12 puts its best foot forward on Sky's opening, Saturday prime time tea-time slot with a reprise of last May's Grand Final, and Nigel Owens as referee, but in many respects the pity is that it actually has come so soon.
Seasonal openers usually find teams some way short of optimum level, and this probably would have been a higher quality fixture later in the campaign.
Where end-of-season affairs, be they return meetings at the RDS or semi-finals at the RDS two years and one year ago, have tended to be entertaining, the earlier meetings in Glasgow finished 10-10, 0-6 and 12-6 in the last three seasons.
Bookend
Both teams will undoubtedly improve as the season wears on and who knows, they may well bookend the campaign by meeting in the final again, but history suggests
Leinster
will make the bigger strides as their big guns return and the season progresses.
As usual, a large core of Leinster’s frontline Irish contingent are absent.
In an interesting sub-plot, Isaac Boss will become the first player to make 100 appearances for two Irish provinces by reaching the landmark for Leinster this evening after 108 games for Ulster.
A much trumpeted arrival when he landed from the Chiefs with Ulster in 2005, his switch after five seasons in Ravenhill raised a few eyebrows given how well established Eoin Reddan was at Leinster.
While Reddan has more or less kept his status as the first choice nine, Boss has kept him very much on his toes while reaching 100 games in almost four seasons.
Leinster debut
Ironically, his Leinster debut was on the opening weekend of September 2010 in Glasgow – albeit in Firhill – when Boss scored a try in a 22-19 defeat.
He went on to play 28 times for Leinster that season, winning the first of two Heineken Cup winner’s medals against Northampton, and with a Pro12 and Challenge Cup gongs as well, has more than vindicated his decision to switch provinces.
Under Joe Schmidt, his speed and footwork to the breakdown, and service, have all improved to make him a better scrumhalf as well.
He is partnered by Jimmy Gopperth and in what could be a significant campaign for him, Leinster's leading try scorer last season, Noel Reid, partners Brendan Macken.
Darragh Fanning and Fergus McFadden are on the wings either side of Zane Kirchner. The South African was the match-winner in last season’s final when scoring two tries and creating the other two.
Welcome return
Up front, Seán Cronin makes a welcome return after summer surgery, with Ireland colleagues Cian Healy and Mike Ross either side of him in a strong frontrow.
Lock Ben Marshall starts his first Pro12 game since February 2013 after an injury-ravaged season last year, while Seán O’Brien captains the side while flanked by Dominic Ryan and Shane Jennings.
Scotland international flanker Rob Harley, an ever present in the Pro12 last season, will make his own 100th appearance for the Warriors.
A new-look frontrow sees Edinburgh recruit Alex Allan alongside Fraser Brown and the returning Euan Murray.
Alongside Harley is Chris Fusaro and number eight Josh Strauss, captain in the absence of injured club captain Al Kellock.
Stuart Hogg and Sean Lamont are both on the bench along with Niko Matawalu after their involvement at the Commonwealth Games in July.
Glasgow’s 12-6 win in the corresponding fixture represents their only win over Leinster in 10 meetings since that Boss debut four years ago, yet last season’s clinical rout in the final by Leinster was both a little untypical of their season and of this fixture, the previous eight League meetings having been one-score affairs.
Furthermore, as well as being at home and closer to full-strength, after carrying the memory of last May’s 34-12 beating in the RDS final all through the intervening summer months, Glasgow should have all the motivation in the world.
