ON RUGBY:AS A return to the meat and two veg of the regional/provincial game, last weekend's RaboDirect Pro 12 was fairly tasty. The half-dozen matches were illuminated by sunshine or floodlights, and six tries and 56 points per game. And, in so much as they can be believed, given attendance figures are bloated by non-attending season ticket holders, there were over 46,000 at the six games, with an average of over 7,600.

On Friday, fifth-placed Ulster host leaders Leinster in what is sure to be a sell-out, and both coaches will assuredly feel obliged to put out full-strength sides, primarily to fine-tune their readiness for the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup a week later.

It could be a dress rehearsal for the European final, and should be a cracker.

But, increasingly, this is a case of what’s seldom is wonderful. In each country it is the derbies which stand out, and with particularly good reason in Ireland. More often than not, Leinster, Munster and Ulster need only to put their best foot forward against each other and Connacht, as well as a few other select occasions. Even those are primarily as a means of readying themselves for a return to Europe, but it hasn’t stopped them from occupying three of the top five places.

For example, Jonathan Sexton has played more games (13) for Ireland in 2011-12 than for Leinster (11), with whom he has started only four of their 20 Pro 12 games to date.

Not that there can be any complaints about the entertainment or quality on offer at the RDS, regardless of who’s occupying the blue shirts. Not only have they the best team in Europe and the Pro 12, but probably the second best team too, certainly in the Pro 12.

Were there a first and second Leinster team at full tilt, they would probably be sitting first and around fourth now. Not that any of this is a guarantee of Leinster winning either competition, much less both, especially with an away semi-final in France in the Heineken Cup.

In any event, Leinster could rest up a dozen of their Heineken Cup quarter-final starting XV and still beat an Edinburgh side retaining 10 of the team that beat Toulouse a week before with over 40 points to spare.

Already over 10,700 Leinster supporters have signed up for 2012/13 season tickets and no doubt the supposed 16,000-plus crowd last Friday was swelled by about 4,000 or so of those who did not turn up.

However, for how much longer will the blue faithful dip into their pockets for a staple diet of turkey shoots garnished with Heineken Cup pool games and Pro 12 derbies? Similarly, Ulster retained only three of the starting XV which accounted for Munster when making the trek to Connacht but as their non-use of the bench against Munster highlighted, they don’t have the strength in depth to maintain a dual assault on a Cup/League double.

Munster, with a heavy heart and no cherished Heineken Cup to chase, retained eight of their starting team in beating Glasgow at home. However, as in 2009 and last season, even winning the League will not ease the pain of missing out in Europe again (unless they were to beat Leinster in the final again).

Increasingly it is said the provinces are too big for Ireland. Whatever about that, the Heineken Cup remains too big for the Pro 12, and the Irish provinces are becoming too big for the League. By contrast, the moves to newly-built, out-of-town stadia in Wales have been less than a success.

Accordingly, they have to cut their cloth to suit their measure and there continues to be a flight of wild geese proportions to French and English club rugby.

Meanwhile, in Italy last week came the news that the Italian Federation are closing down Aironi at the end of the season. Having brought home Azzurri internationals such as Marco Bortolami, Aironi lost their sponsorship with the major Italian bank Monte dei Paschi before the start of the season, worth between €800,000 and €1 million, while Parma – one of Aironi’s founders – have failed to come up with their share of backing.

Aironi are €3 million in debt and rather than fund them to the tune of €2 million, the FIR are proposing to take over the set-up for two years before reviewing their dual presence in the League, unless an alternative franchise comes forward before April 25th. Milan have the crowd base but no stadium, Roma the opposite, and in these straitened times it seems highly unlikely an alternative franchise will emerge in such a short time span, meaning Aironi being taken over by the FIR and operating out of Rome, nearby Parma (where Italian head coach Jacques Brunel is based) or Viadana again, which seems the likeliest.

Aside from much more history and tradition (the French championship dates back to 1892, the English championship to 1987) all of this isn’t helped by the lack of a real cutting edge to the League comparable to the Top 14 or Aviva Premiership. Although aside from the scramble for top four or top six places, this is undoubtedly helped by the annually intriguing relegation struggles.

So it was that Newcastle were beating Gloucester to further endanger Wasps’ top-flight status and very existence over the weekend. With the advances being made by Montpellier and the nouveau riche duo of Toulon and Racing, the Catalans of Perpignan and the Top 14 status of the Basque pair of Bayonne and Biarritz are seriously imperilled too, with Bayonne’s win over their neighbours last Saturday giving them a lifeline.

In the absence of relegation, perhaps it is time for the Pro 12 to consider a more merit-based qualification for the Heineken Cup, whereby the top 10 qualify regardless of nationality. As it is, Connacht lie 10th and could yet overtake both Treviso and the Dragons for a highest ever League placing, yet their Heineken Cup fate hinges on either Leinster, again, or Ulster winning the European blue riband.

Imagine how much intrigue this would have given the bottom as well as the top of the table on the League run-in? This would certainly have concentrated Edinburgh’s minds on more “domestic” matters this last while.

THERE’S no doubt Anthony Foley is a Munster head coach in waiting – the question being when. Save for Keith Wood, who believes his time is now, many of Foley’s former team-mates are seemingly of the opinion he would be better off serving another couple of seasons as forwards coach first.

But if his only rivals on Munster’s final shortlist really are a big name with even more limited coaching experience, namely Tana Umaga (currently an assistant coach with Counties Manukau in the second tier of the ITM Cup) or Rob Penney, head coach of the Canterbury ITM side, then regardless of the red rag Umaga’s appointment might still generate, given “Speargate”, it would be insulting not to give it to Foley now.