However, there is something stirring in Scottish rugby and it will need a high-level performance from the Irish province to ensure the history boys are not upstaged by the young pretenders at Murrayfield today.

Every utterance from the Munster camp this week has warned of the threat facing them this afternoon from an Edinburgh side riding a wave of confidence following their pool-topping exploits at the expense of Toulon, Montpellier and Newcastle.

As one, they all cited the magic of Fijian No 8 Viliame Mata, part of a disruptive and abrasive back row, the power of an impressive pack that backbones the national side, and cautioned against underestimating a team marshalled by head coach Richard Cockerill and with the attacking explosiveness of Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham in the back three.

"The red army will be out in force."@Farrell_C93 is hoping to see plenty of red in the stands at Murrayfield tomorrow! #EDIvMUN #SUAF pic.twitter.com/M2e3h35j3L

— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) March 29, 2019

As Munster forwards coach Jerry Flannery told the Irish Examiner this week: “They’ve a very strong scrum. They’ve a set-piece-oriented game, as I see it, and a very strong kicking game as well, so they’re very, very structured in how they play. They force a lot of penalties at set-piece, they get territory in the opposition half and then they’re really, really clinical.”

No one is disputing Edinburgh’s strengths, yet there is a lot to like about this Munster side also.

Just as there is a mismatch in terms of heritage in this competition, with the home side today playing just its third Champions Cup quarter-final and first since 2012, there also stands a discrepancy between Munster’s ability to close big-game victories.

Wins such as the 9-7 arm-wrestle over English powerhouses Exeter Chiefs on January 19, when van Graan’s side topped their pool, also containing French champions Castres and Gloucester.

Munster will field 14 of the 15 players who started that Exeter win, and are boosted by the return to fitness of fly-half Joey Carbery at the stadium where he last played, guiding Ireland to Six Nations victory over Scotland as an early replacement for the injured Johnny Sexton.

As closely-fought as this contest is expected to be, Cockerill recognises the difference Carbery can make to this Munster side if his strategy of applying pressure to half-back partner Conor Murray fails to produce results.

"They’ve got a very good set-piece, similar to ourselves,” the Edinburgh boss said.

The lineout drive, both in attack and defence, will be very important. Munster’s nine and 10: They’ve got a little more threat at 10 than they’ve had for a long time. Carbery is no mug and will want to get them on the front foot.

"Conor Murray is world class at controlling a game, but he’s had mixed form and we need to make sure he is under pressure as much as possible.

“Historically they would be very direct and have kicked a lot, but [Carbery] has shown that ball in hand, especially on the front foot, he will create things out of nothing. It gives them a slightly different dimension so we need to be very wary of him. When you have Murray, Scannell and Farrell there are some good targets for them to use. It will be a tough examination of our defensive ability.”

Cockerill will also be hoping his players have learned the lessons of a narrow defeat in Limerick in last season’s PRO14 quarter-finals.

“At some point you’ve got to tip those scales,” he said yesterday. “Munster are used to finding a way of winning games...and even last year they found a way of getting past us when they weren’t at their best and they should have, could have, won in the semi-final against Leinster. They just have that little bit more big-game experience than we do.”

Even for a coach that has seen his squad eke out results against French giants and derby rivals alike this season, the question marks remain about this Edinburgh side.

“I’m always going to back my team, for obvious reasons, but I think that you have to manage expectations around where we’re at as a team,” Cockerill said. “We’re coming here to win tomorrow, I’ve got no qualms around that and no issues saying that, because if we get it right, we’re a good enough team to beat Munster. If they get it right and we get it right and we’re both playing at the top of our game, it’ll be interesting to see where we sit.”

It is indeed an intriguing match-up, but this Munster side is determined to atone for last season’s disappointments and better equipped to do so. If they get it right.