Gloucester's finest face stern test against mean Munster

It seems a little early – seven months early, in fact – to be talking of decisive Heineken Cup encounters, but from a Gloucester point of view, today's meeting with the mean-eyed men of Munster before a sell-out crowd at Kingsholm could not be more critical.

Those things the Premiership leaders have yet to discover about themselves will be revealed this afternoon, and in glorious Technicolor too. For certain individuals, the significance of this humdinger of a fixture is greater still.

Take Henry Paul as an example. The New Zealand-born 13-a-sider came to union as a fully-fledged legend, a top-drawer talent who would enhance England's chances of winning the 2003 World Cup in Australia. A year down the road, he has been moved far away from the game-shaping positions he was lured across codes to fill – he turns out at full-back these days – and is one of the few English-qualified players still awaiting a squad-session invitation from Clive Woodward.

If Paul needs a top hat and tails show against last season's beaten finalists, so do Trevor Woodman and James Forrester. Two years ago, Woodman looked the best prop in England, by a distance: strong, mobile, aggressive, highly-skilled and technically proficient. Then came a quiet spell, followed by injury problems, followed by two sendings-off in France. He is back on his mettle this season, however, and with England's front row options diminishing by the minute, he would profit from a successful taming of Munster's all-international threesome.

Forrester is in a slightly different situation. No one with eyes to see could question his brilliance with ball in hand and the individuality of his free-running contribution to the Gloucester back row, but the England selectors want to see him perform on the rear foot, when the shackles are being applied. Munster's breakaway unit have clapped the irons on more experienced operators than Forrester – the combination of Jim Williams, Alan Quinlan and Anthony Foley is a very serious proposition at this level – and they will test the 21-year-old to the limit.

The contenders for England's scrum-half berth against the All Blacks in five weeks' time also have an important weekend. Gloucester's Andy Gomarsall is very much in the frame, especially as Kyran Bracken is not getting a run at Saracens these days, but it is generally around this time of year that Matthew Dawson pipes up with the odd strong statement. Dawson is said to be a reformed character: no more exaggerated appeals for offsides and forward passes, no more running commentaries in the ears of match officials. Truth or rumour? All will become clear when Northampton take on Ulster in what promises to be a brute of an match at Franklin's Gardens tomorrow.

Since winning the European title on an emotional January afternoon in Dublin three years ago, Ulster have won only once away from home in this tournament – in Treviso last season. They will make it their business to ensure Dawson stays very quiet on this occasion.