It's the final round of the pool stages of a forgettable Champions Cup and Challenge Cup campaign for Irish rugby.
Mathematically, three provinces are still in with a chance of featuring in Europe in April - but in all likelihood Munster, Ulster, and possibly Connacht will enjoy some late season weekends off.
That doesn't mean that this weekend isn't hugely relevant for Irish rugby, mostly because there are just two weekends left to prove fitness and form to Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt. It's also highly likely that Schmidt's presence has had an influence on selection, and here are the most interesting selections across the provinces looking ahead to the Six Nations, and what it could mean
Leinster - Rhys Ruddock
Here is the full #LeinsterRugby 23-man squad to face @WaspsRugby. #WASvLEIN pic.twitter.com/qZ6ZyrT0D3
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) January 22, 2016
Blindside flanker is a potential problem position for Ireland right now, with Munster captain Peter O'Mahony ruled out through injury. It appeared that the form of blindside flanker Rhys Ruddock looked to have made that an easy decision for Schmidt, but is there a fly in the ointment.
The selection of Ruddock at second row is therefore very interesting. Second row has turned into an area of weakness after being a strength following the international retirement of Paul O'Connell. Last week's man of the match Ross Molony drops to the bench, suggesting that moving Ruddock to second row is a call that came from the IRFU.
If Ruddock shows that he is able to cover the second row, then it opens the possibility of Schmidt naming two backrows on the bench instead of a lock cover. This increases the possibility that CJ Stander will make his Irish debut during this Six Nations.
One of the things to note about whether this will be successful or not will be how the scrum fares with a less bulky Ruddock backing up Marty Moore against a fierce Wasps scrum.
Ruddock isn't the only notable Leinster selection, with Dominic Ryan and Jordi Murphy given rare opportunties and the chance to prove that they should have been in Schmidt's squad. While Ian Madigan's absence with Cathal Marsh on the bench is curious. Luke Fitzgerald's continued selection as a centre must put him as favourite to be the first alternative to Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne.
Ulster - Jared Payne
It's by no means certain, but after allowing Payne to ease back into fitness last week in his more comfortable position at full-back, there was an expectancy that Payne would return to his international position of outside centre.
Having him play twice at full-back so close before the Six Nations hopefully opens up the possibility that he'll finally be tried at 15 at test level - but it shouldn't surprise anyone when Payne is named at 13.
It's also interesting to note that Luke Marshall returns to his normal position of 12, allowing Stuart McCloskey to be rested, and Darren Cave to come back from injury.
See Also: 6 Of Our Favourite Ulster Men To Captain Ireland
Connacht - Robbie Henshaw
1. Denis Buckley, 2. Dave Heffernan, 3. Nathan White, 4. Ultan Dillane, 5. Aly Muldowney, 6. John Muldoon (c), 7. James Connolly, 8. Eoghan Masterson;
9. Kieran Marmion, 10. AJ MacGinty, 11. Matt Healy, 12. Bundee Aki, 13. Robbie Henshaw, 14. Danie Poolman, 15. Tiernan O'Halloran.
16. Tom McCartney, 17. Finlay Bealham, 18. Rodney Ah You, 19. George Naoupu, 20. Sean O'Brien, 21. Caolin Blade, 22. Jack Carty, 23. Rory Parata
Firstly, it's fantastic that Henshaw has been able to prove his fitness in advance of the Six Nations, and provided that he gets through the game unscathed - we should have no worries about him.
Like Payne, we should hope that allowing Henshaw to play at outside centre promises more excitement at the international level. If Henshaw finally gets the chance to play internationally with the space he's afforded at outside centre - he could be an even bigger sensation.
Munster - Simon Zebo
1. Dave Kilcoyne, 2. Mike Sherry, 3. John Ryan, 4. Dave Foley, 5. Donnacha Ryan, 6. Billy Holland, 7. Tommy O'Donnell, 8. CJ Stander (c).
9. Conor Murray, 10. Ian Keatley, 11. Ronan O'Mahony, 12. Rory Scannell, 13. Francis Saili, 14. Keith Earls, 15. Simon Zebo
16. Niall Scannell, 17. James Cronin, 18. Mario Sagario, 19. Mark Chisholm, 20. Robin Copeland, 21. Jack O'Donoghue, 22. Tomas O'Leary, 23. Gerhard van den Heever.
Watching Zebo cut through Sale from fullback last January, lead me to believe that the flier would be more effective being allowed the freedom to roam from the 15 jersey.
He thrived in the open space leading into the World Cup, and he's finally been given the opportunity. His turnaround in form was one of the reasons why Munster were so good against Stade Francais. If he's given the opportunity, Zebo could challenge Kearney and (hopefully) Payne for the 15 jersey.
Keith Earls continued selection on the wing should eliminate him from centre contention with the increased options available, while Mike Sherry, Dave Foley, and Dave Kilcoyne will want to prove themselves after being omitted from the Six Nations squad.
