As the final whistle blew, exhausted Irish players appeared to sink into the Saint Denis turf. Roughly 84 minutes of titanic effort between two of the top teams at the Rugby World Cup had passed. Ireland, the number one ranked team in the world and pre-tournament favourites to many, were out of the World Cup. Five months prior, many of those same Irish players had sunk to the ground again - this time, however, celebrating a momentous victory against the DHL Stormers in the URC Grand Final. As Munster and DHL Stormers prepare to face each other for the first time since that incredible encounter in Cape Town, we at Elixirr wanted to assess what the effect of World Cup duty might be on this crucial match-up. Would returning Irish players provide a much-needed boost to Munster or might the DHL Stormers, despite missing several superstars, find themselves at an advantage with fresh legs? **Munster - The Superstars return** Munster have been buoyed in recent weeks by the return of several of their World Cup stars to training and the pitch. Although RWC winner RG Snyman remains out, key players including Tadhg Beirne, Conor Murray, and Peter O’Mahony are all in line to make their URC3 debut this week. Just how much did they put on the line for their country?

Player	RWC Team	RWC23 Minutes
Jack Crowley	Ireland	57
Jeremy Loughman	Ireland	30
Craig Casey	Ireland	24
Tadhg Beirne	Ireland	369
Peter O'Mahony	Ireland	347
RG Snyman	South Africa	222
Conor Murray	Ireland	148
Jean Kleyn	South Africa	132
Dave Kilcoyne	Ireland	79
Average		156.4

With over 300 minutes played in the WC, Munster will be hoping that key players such as Tadhg Beirne and Peter O’Mahony can replicate the usual quality of performances. That’s nothing to say of the emotional toll that must be felt by Munster’s Irish internationals. Following their defeat by New Zealand, club captain O’Mahony described the Irish dressing room as ‘probably the toughest \[he’s\] been in, to be honest’. Their return to club rugby will be one of the stories to watch this weekend. **Benetton – An Italian Renaissance** World Cup demands appear to have not affected Benetton however. Despite fielding a squad comprised of 17 internationals, the Italian side have started URC3 on an absolute tear. Undefeated (3 wins, 1 draw) and sitting 1 point behind the league leaders, Benetton have been able to rely on the reintroduction of key Italian internationals to bolster their squad.

Player	RWC Team	RWC23 Minutes	URC3 Minutes
Thomas Gallo	Argentina	423	80
Lorenzo Cannone	Italy	303	149
Federico Ruzza	Italy	297	80
Michele Lamaro	Italy	269	112
Sebastian Negri	Italy	238	97
Malakai Fekitoa	Tonga	229	240
Giacomo Nicotera	Italy	168	133
Simone Ferrari	Italy	138	116
Niccolo Cannone	Italy	134	77
Manuel Zuliani	Italy	118	152
Ivan Nemer	Italy	104	46
Alessandro Garbisi	Italy	60	83
Paolo Odogwu	Italy	49	80
Federico Zani	Italy	30	55
Toa Halafihi	Italy	15	76
Average		170.24	92.71

The return of national and club captain Michele Lamaro to the starting line-up has been an undoubted boost, but he’s not alone. In recent weeks, the Benetton pack has welcomed back several seasoned internationals, including Sebastien Negri, Simone Ferrari, and the Canonne brothers (Lorenzo and Niccolo), all of whom saw significant action at the World Cup. In fact, the last round saw Benetton starting six members of the same pack that started Italy’s final group stage. The performances of these returning players appear not to have been affected by their experiences in France. Despite playing an average of 230 minutes at the WC between them, four of those six are already producing higher average performance ratings than in last year’s competition, and across the Benetton team performance ratings are up on average.

Player	URC2 Av. Rating	URC3 Av. Rating*	Av. change
Lorenzo Cannone	6.16	6.72	0.57
Michele Lamaro	6.61	7.35	0.74
Niccolo Cannone	5.91	7.25	1.34
Simone Ferrari	6.43	6.86	0.42
Average	6.67	6.96	0.29

*\*Minimum of 2 appearances in URC3* Benetton’s success, and the contributions of their international players in enabling it, suggest that returning quality can outweigh any World Cup fatigue. **DHL Stormers – Difficult boots to fill?** Last year's runners-up, the DHL Stormers, have had a slow start to the season, with their brightest stars having only just gotten home from touring the William Web Ellis trophy around the country. When head coach John Dobson was asked about the team’s most recent loss to Benetton, he stressed that their reliance on ‘X factor’ players has an inherent risk if the flashy plays aren’t pulled off. The return of Manie Libbok is already expected to reinvigorate the Stormer's attack. Until the return of their Springbok superstars, the Cape Town side will be hoping that their replacements can make a mark in the meantime. However, last week, the growing pains of a new set piece team missing several key internationals and fielding several new faces was on full display, squandering three line-outs inside Benetton’s 22 within the last 20 minutes of the game. In a game of such fine margins, those errors can prove to be the difference between victory and defeat. **Munster vs Stormers - A brand new rivalry** As the Cape Town natives in the office insist, champions aren’t crowned in November\*. Even without their superstars, the DHL Stormers have plenty of time to turn their slow start around, starting with this weekend’s battle against their Irish rivals. No wins from their last three encounters have made this a one-sided rivalry so far, and the DHL Stormers will be anxious to right the ship. Meanwhile, Munster will be hoping a boost from their returning players will be exactly what is needed to improve their middling start (2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss). The best players elevate the performances of those around them and, as we are seeing with Benetton, the return of the World Cup players can have a tangible effect on Team results. Will Munster repeat their Grand Final victory and make it 4 wins from 4 against DHL Stormers? Or will a challenge like this be exactly what it takes for the Cape Town side’s players to rise to the occasion and own the moment? This weekend will be an excellent pulse check on two of the biggest teams in the tournament. *\*they are keen to remind everyone that they are crowned in late October, every four years…*