Chilly out. Ain’t it rugby fans?

Well, we’ve got a vital Champions Cup fixture that’s sure to get the blood flowing.

You’ve still got over an hour until kick-off, so grab a hot drink or just get those Arctic mit-minders wrapped around a cold one while you ponder you big match prediction.

Of course, maybe you’re not out in the elements. Maybe you’ve decided to lob a log on the fire and stay cosy while Leinster go to work to save their Champions Cup season.

Ugo Monye’s with you (this photo was not taken on his iPhone).

Have you read the big match preview already? Here’s a quick reminder of the teams named by Matt O’Connor and Conor O’Shea yesterday.

Your referee for the night is Romain Poite – you lucky ducks, you.

Leinster

15. Rob Kearney
14. Zane Kirchner
13. Luke Fitzgerald
12. Ian Madigan
11. Darragh Fanning
10. Jimmy Gopperth
9. Isaac Boss
1. Jack McGrath
2. Sean Cronin
3. Mike Ross
4. Devin Toner
5. Kane Douglas
6. Rhys Ruddock
7. Dominic Ryan
8. Jamie Heaslip (capt.)

Replacements:

16. Bryan Byrne
17. Michael Bent
18. Tadhg Furlong
19. Mike McCarthy
20. Jack Conan
21. Eoin Reddan
22. Noel Reid
23. Mick McGrath

Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

Harlequins

15. Mike Brown
14. Marland Yarde
13. Matt Hopper
12. George Lowe
11. Aseli Tikoirotuma
10. Tim Swiel
9. Danny Care

1. Joe Marler (capt.)
2. Dave Ward
3. Will Collier
4. Charlie Matthews
5. George Robson
6. Luke Wallace
7. Jack Clifford
8. Nick Easter

Replacements:

16. Joe Gray
17. Mark Lambert
18. Kyle Sinckler
19. Sam Twomey
20. Joe Trayfoot
21. Karl Dickson
22. Tom Casson
23. Ross Chisholm

Here’s the man Leinster have to outwit tonight.

His Quins side have not been in great form this season and he will be without some of the totems of his gameplan; Chris Robshaw and Nick Evans.

Here’s a quick reminder of the state of play before kick-off here. Leinster, of course, can take over top spot in the pool with victory. But they will have one eye on denying Quins anything from this encounter.

Alright then, the teams are in the tunnel and the seats are filling up. Let’s do some rugby.

KICK-OFF: Gopperth gets us under way and the short kick-off forces the error. Leinster have the ball back but as it spins from right to left Leinster match up with their own knock on.

Scrum time.

Poite taking time to get both packs square on and we get through the first set piece with Care scampering out the back.

Jamie Heaslip ruled offside. His opposite number Nick Easter is down receiving treatment while Tim Swiel lines this one up.

3 mins: It’s not a pretty strike from Swiel and an even uglier result. Still scoreless here.

A little bit of kick tennis under way and though Gopperth found touch it’s quickly fired back in by Brown.

We’re still kicking back and forth until Nick Easter takes the ball into contact. Good man.

9 mins: Leinster’s first foray into the Quins third now and Rob Kearney briefly thinks he has a sniff of space, but it’s bounced forward off Devin Toner’s hands.

Mike Brown just skirted out of play chasing a kick to the corner and it gave Leinster a good attacking platform.

The maul gets a decent roll on, but Leinster look wide early and Gopperth’s pass is a little short of Zane Kirchener.

The ‘Bok does well, dancing into space, but a phase later Leinster are turned over and Quins clear.

There’s the lads.

For those of you with an eye on the western province. They’re currently trailing Bayonne 7 – 3 after 16 minutes. We’ll have news from that one a little later.

17 mins: Yes, you can stop hitting refresh on the page. We are still scoreless in today’s big game.

And, to be honest, that’s a fair reflection of the entertainment on offer.

Jack Clifford is off his feet as Leinster go through the phases and Leinster will finally have a shot to open the scoring…. but he’s missed it.

Never mind, Leinster are back on the Quins 5 with a line-out to turn into a maul and go for a maximum score.

Oh dear. With the line begging to be crossed Poite pings Isaac Boss for playing the ball on the ground as he joined the ruck.

Quins caught offside and Madigan will get another bite at the cherry

PENALTY! Leinster 3 Harlequins 0 (Madigan ’26)

Big stat on BT, it’s now over 200 minutes since Leinster gave us a try to talk about.

52 minutes in this game to end that drought.

Comedy of errors there after a good chip in behind the Quins D. Leinster’s line-out is overthrown, Wallace knocks on trying to recover at the tail and it’s just too low for Heaslip to avoid doing the same.

Scrum it is.

TRY! Leinster 8 Harlequins 0 (Boss ’31)

You’re welcome, Leinster fans. The drought is over.

The scrum looks to be shaking as the front rows pop up, but Heaslip controls it well with his feet at the base and feeds Boss to sneak in to the corner.

Madigan missed the conversion.

Leinster are getting a free ride from Swiel here. Another penalty, this one given 30 metres directly in front of the posts and it spins a metre wide.

PENALTY! Leinster 11 Harlequins 0 (Madigan ‘ 38)

HALF-TIME: Leinster 11 Harlequins 0

Okay, so it’s not pretty out there. But Leinster are sure getting the job done.

In a muted atmosphere they’ve managed to break their try-scoring duck and blast Quins out of bonus point territory.

It’s no harm that Tim Swiel looks to have the yips tonight either.

A nice shot of Boss’ score from INPHO’s Cathal Noonan.

Cathal Noonan / INPHO Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO

The second half is under way, then. Can Leinster get this one wrapped up and placed under the tree. Or does Conor O’Shea have a lump of coal ready to ignite?

Oh wow. Mike Brown is in under the posts after claiming a chip through, but Poite has called for the TMO.

Is it a knock-on from Marler? Rob Kearney looks to have snapped it out of the props hands after he’s hit the deck.

The TMO has dramatically issued his answer in a terrifyingly deadpan Frecnh accent: ‘knock on’. 

Big scrum from Quins as they drive Leinster off the ball and win a penalty. Surely Swiel can’t miss this one.

PENALTY! Leinster 11 Harlequins 3 (Swiel ‘ 46)

Leinster will be more than happy to escape that period of pressure with only three points conceded.

Leinster perhaps just finding a rhythm here and they put together a few smart phases with Fanning making yards before Gopperth aims a kick in behind for Kirchener to chase. It bounced out rather than up, however.

There’s a constant hum around Lansdowne, but rarely much more. A lot of very cold Leinster fans sitting shivering watching this.

TRY! Leinster 11 Harlequins 8 (Brown ’56)

Well now. It’s game well and truly on in the Aviva as Wallace puts Hopper through a gap and suddenly Quins have numbers out to the right.

So even though there’s a pass that goes to ground, there’s plenty of time to pick up and sent Brown over.

Swiel even nails the conversion.

Leinster 11 Harlequins 10

So, now what do Leinster do to turn this 10-point tide?

They start with a long Gopperth kick that goes too long and they’ll come back for a scrum.

BOD on BT just speaking of the need to keep playing rugby. This is now a big test for the eastern province.

Further replacements now for Leinster with Jack Conan coming in to the game for Rhys Ruddock. Eoin Reddan has already come on for Boss.

Leinster have a job on now. Quins are attacking with real intent when they get into the final third.

On this occasion they cough up the pill after Mike Brown’s carry and the home side clear.

After the clearance, the assistant calls on Poite to check the TMO for a tackle without the ball.

Oh dear. It doesn’t look good for big Dev. He’s taken Clifford out without the ball and that’s where the knock-on came from. Good spot, touch judge.

It’ll be a penalty to Quins.

PENALTY! Leinster 11 Harlequins 13 (Swiel ’67)

Another Gopperth kick is over-cooked to a cinder and Leinster will be pinned back to a scrum just outside their 22.

But at least the tension brings a certain level of excitement, or is it dread?

Big turnover from Luke Fitz as Leinster threatened and Eoin Reddan did what Eoin Reddan does best, injecting pace from nowhere and suddenly Leinster are on the edge of the 22.

PENALTY! Leinster 14 Harlequins 13 (Madigan ’71)

75 mins: Leinster’s line-out is rolling again. It’s been an effective weapon that they haven’t been able to use much tonight.

As soon as they come out, however, Ward comes up with a big steal and Quins will come again.

In case you’re not on Twitter, by the way. CONNACHT HAVE BEATEN BAYONNE IN BAYONNE. Our collective caps go off to them.

SCUFFLE KLAXON! There are bodies bailing in from all angles and Dom Ryan is one man receiving treatment.

We’re with the TMO and it’s a right mess. Hard to tell who to penalise there. They should all be punished by being made to watch this game twice before bedtime tonight.

Now. Charlie Matthews is a man who will be in the most trouble, he’s got Ryan in a chokehold, nothing too serious, but then proceeds to move his right hand to Ryan’s eyes.

TMO said ‘not on the eyes’.

YELLOW CARD: Matthews’ game is over. Leinster have a one-man advantage for 3 minutes.

Leinster go from the line-out and they’re in a mood to play out the clock from here. A try would deny Quins a point, but that’s not the priority after this ordeal.

There you have it.

Is that the right call?

FULL-TIME: Leinster 14 Harlequins 13

Well thanks for sticking with us through all of that. It was a pretty hard slog and it all means Leinster are still second in Pool 2 but only on points difference now.

Safe home.