Ulster scored six tries on their way to claiming a dramatic 38-34 comeback victory over Stormers to boost their United Rugby Championship playoff hopes after trailing 17-0.
Has an ageing squad been exposed by Les Bleus, or was Saturday's French thrashing merely a blip for the venerated green machine?
A duel between the two best nines on planet rugby is a mouth-watering aspect of the likely Six Nations title decider between Ireland and France.
A hat-trick of tries from Tom Farrell saw Munster win a scrappy opening Irish interprovincial of the festive season 22-19 over Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium.
It was the French who caught the eye in round one with six of their eight teams winning, including Stade Rochelais and Toulon away from home.
Ulster head coach Richie Murphy has named his team for the BKT United Rugby Championship Round 6 match against Cardiff on Saturday - with no sign of hooker Rob Herring in the squad.
Ulster line-up doesn't bode well for Ireland's burgeoning injury crisis.
The 26-year-old former classroom assistant, who featured for the province’s age-grade teams, had been playing in the English Championship since 2020, initially at Bedford and then last season at Doncaster Knights.
Census Johnston might be the not-so-secret weapon giving Auckland and the Blues the edge. He is a forwards coach for both the franchise and province. At the peak of his playing career, the mammoth prop stood 6 ft 3 and 137 kg.