Read the full transcripts below, as the countdown ticks down to Round 20 - starting with a mouth-watering clash between Ulster and Leinster in Belfast on Friday April 24.
MUNSTER - ANTHONY FOLEY
We're not so much peaking, but a lot of the injuries we had in the early to middle part of our season have come back. There's so much competition in the side and when we train it is at a level of intensity now that forces players to prepare properly for training. Through that players are getting the benefit of the weekend, and standards have come up because they can't get away with it during the week.
On the run-in
Others may look at it half-empty, I look at it half full. Treviso are coming over to us playing for qualification to Europe, I look at Ulster up here and view that as a very tough fixture and I see the Dragons who could become Challenge Cup champions. We've got three quality sides left in the competition, everyone's got something to play for, and it's important we look at it as one game at a time rather than three to go. The Dragons have beaten Leinster twice this year, you take your hat off to a side like that and you have a lot of respect for a side like that.
I want to get top four out of the way and that we have a semi-final. The pivotal moment of whether it'll be a top-two finish will be our second to last game here at Ulster. There's no point me worrying about that until a month's side, so the team's focus is on Treviso. We'll see what the results and permutations are as we go forward, but there's going to be one big side missing out.
On his reign so far
I still think there's a bit of work to be done, we're better than what we were at the start of the year. That happens naturally anyway, you evolve over the year and in a year's work you'd like to think it makes people better. You don't need to stand over things with players as much as you would have in October, and you want to make sure they're all turning up and remaining competitive. That competitiveness will manifest in the performance on the pitch.
On Francis Saili
Francis coming in gives us good balance in midfield, he's left legged and can play 12 or 13 in midfield. He's got good hands and ability to beat someone, he's got a bit of X-Factor and he's also a very good defender, so he ticks an awful lot of boxes. As you can see from YouTube he's a character as well, so you welcome that and relish people like that being around. He's signed for us for two years - whether he stays longer will be a decision for later - but hopefully by the end of two years he'll be a better player for Munster than he was when he first came over. That's our challenge too.
On CJ Stander
He's had a consistent run this year as a No.8 and he's somebody that you look towards for big, ball-carrying moments. His physical leadership on the pitch is something they look up to and he takes a lot of pressure from Peter and Tommy in the back-row. He also allows our second-rows to get on with their job and he's only going to get better, which is the most frightening thing. He came from Blue Bulls with a certain way of going about the job, he's come here as a phenomenal talent but I don't think we've seen the top end of it yet. He's going to get better over the next 12 months.
We have Paul O'Connell and Donncha O'Callaghan as leaders, both iconic figures, you have Denis who captained our side through the Six Nations and was a revelation in that sense with his leadership skills. You have Conor Murray who leads by performance, so if you have those guys in your group who can help your team grow - and that's without mentioning Felix, who's an outstanding talent.
I haven't had a discussion with Paul or Donncha (about whether they would want to go into coaching), they've got another year to go on their contracts so I imagine there'll be a discussion around November or December time. But their intellectual properties they have, it would be a shame for them to go somewhere else. They have a lot of experience, a lot of knowhow, so hopefully other a period of time they can be involved. But you're in a bubble while playing so maybe for a little time they'd need to go out and experience the world a little.
ULSTER - NEIL DOAK
As an organisation we want to make sure we're in the top four every year and fighting in every competition, and I think with the injuries we've had and the changes in coaching staff we had at the early part of the season there was a little bit of turmoil.
Now the dust has settled and things have been in place since October, we've done pretty well. I still look after the same areas as I have done for the last eight years so my stamp on the team, in essence, has always been there. From that point of a view not a lot of things have changed. There are certain areas we need to grow in and it's key that the type of game I want us to play is free-flowing, with ball in hand. When you're playing against quality sides you've also got to adjust things accordingly as there are top drawer defences.
Across the board the league has definitely been a lot tougher this year, the games have been fairly competitive and there hasn't been a lot of runaway victories. It's only good for the game, good for the league, and good for our success in Europe. Which is why it would be so key to have a PRO12 representative in the European final if Leinster get there this weekend.
The five teams still in the race for the play-offs are all really quality sides and there are no easy games. It's all to play for and a lot of teams are playing each other, so things will ebb and flow at every stage over the next few weeks.
When you're playing three teams that are in similar position to yourself (Leinster, Munster, Glasgow) and if you do well, you're still probably going to end up playing one of them again in the play-offs. If you make a silly mistake, or someone concedes a penalty, these are the fine margins in the big games between the quality teams. It's very, very tight and hopefully, if we look after the things we can control, we'll not be too far away. We've got to make sure we get into the play-offs first and foremost.
Key players this year
Rory (Best) has been pretty consistent when he's played for us this season and has a great year with Ireland too, Darren Cave, Craig Gilroy and Rob Herring, who plays in Rory's position as well, have all put in high quality performances. To be fair to our players it's been a massive squad effort and with the players we've had missing for sustained periods, the work that they've done has kept us in the top four to this stage.
That's why it would be a great reward for the boys as a whole to make the play-offs and the home final. A couple of years ago we finished first in the league, won the play-off and unfortunately we played Leinster in Leinster. Our ground wasn't at capacity so that's why it would be lovely to finish these three games and have the final here in what is now such a great stadium. That's what we're looking for, but there's a lot of rugby to be played.
OSPREYS - TYLER ARDRON
We've been really happy for most of the season, we had that little dip and losing the international boys didn't help. The last few weeks things have been going our way, and having Judgement Day is going to make for another big week too. It's huge for us but I think no matter who we're playing, that with the guys we have in the squad there wouldn't be a mental lapse of concentration. It's never been an issue this season.
It's incredibly hard to be a team that leads all the way through in the PRO12 and I think that with the depth Glasgow have, they've been able to do that. The more you build your squad, which is what we're trying to do, the better for us.
On Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar
It's incredible, I don't think I've seen a partnership in rugby anything quite like it before. They talk a lot of the time off the field and when they're on it they hardly have to say anything, it seems, they're just in sync.
If you watch Rhys he knows the game so well, he always knows where to be. He obviously has to be at every breakdown as a No.9, but he seems to find an even quicker way there. His athleticism is probably the main thing that helps him. He's the best No.9 I've ever played with for sure and he goes about it a great way, he has a lot of fun off the field and isn't too serious, but when it's time to train he doesn't make any mistakes. He expects the same out of everyone else.
On his own form
I've had some things work out in my favour, though I was injured for a while, with a few of the internationals leaving and other injuries too. It's a good spot to get my foot in there and hopefully I can maintain that now, it's a deep squad and it's a battle every week to get in the team.
Dan (Baker), how he spots gaps and breaks through lines, is something rare in the modern game. We're very different players in that way and I think we have the luxury of picking whichever team we need to win a particular game each week. You'd rather be on a winning team than selfishly playing every week.
Having a young team this year has really helped us. I learned a lot off the more experienced players who left last year, and I'd never want to change that opportunity, but with the young and deep squad we have now you just never know who will be selected week to week.
I would never put on any money on Leinster losing a game, so we're going to have to win all three to maintain it. Whether or not Leinster lose, we want to win all three to make sure the cards are still in our hands.
We don't want to be facing anyone away in the semi-final, especially not any among these other top teams, so we're going to do everything we can to bring it back to our home fans.
LEINSTER - GUY EASTERBY
Until it's mathematically impossible for us to qualify we will keep going, we're back-to-back holders and are very proud of our record in the PRO12. We're disappointed with how we performed in the league this year, but at the moment we're still in the mix and it's hugely important to us. We're straight into Ulster on the Friday night and that is an absolutely must win game for us.
There's that famous saying that the only thing that's constant is change, and part of my role is succession planning. People looking in from the outside might have a different view to me, but you're always thinking years ahead. If you stay in there here and now, before you realise it other teams have moved on and you're not prepared for the future. I feel we're always in transition, it's just one of those years where we haven't performed as well as we'd have liked to.
There are a number of reasons for that and it's not easy for a team to have won it in the last couple of years to be chasing down fourth spot with three games to go. But we're still in the running.
You have to look at your Jack Conans, your Tadgh Furlongs, those young lads who have got an awful lot more game time this year. 19 of our squad have played international senior rugby for Ireland this season, either in November or the Six Nations, but what it has done is allowed those types of guys to put their hands up for the future. The Byrne brothers too, they all give you a genuine feeling of confidence and that you're constantly evolving. What you want is a conveyor belt of talent coming through and those things crossed off in terms of leadership and personality.
The Ulster game is an interprovincial game that adds its own little spice to it, but if we don't win that game we don't get into the play-offs. It's pure and simple. We haven't got to focus outside of that game, and playing a good team playing very well in front of a partisan crowd is a big challenge. When you get to this stage of the season, that's what it's all about. Unfortunately this season we haven't earned the right to lose a game.
GLASGOW WARRIORS - TOMMY SEYMOUR
It comes down to the fact that there are five teams in those top four spots, so you lose focus on who has got the target on their back (as league leaders). Ideally you want to be in that first place, you want other teams to be looking up at you. But when you get down to these last few games, everyone's not concentrating so much on targeting specific teams as they are focusing on their own ambitions.
So it doesn't feel miles different from last year, we've got a tough run in and the performances at the tail end of last year were very, very good. We won six or seven on the bounce before the semi-final, so we have to ensure we maintain that high standards.
To finish top spot at the end of the regular season is still a huge achievement in itself, with the natural progression of the play-offs. It's not the final situation but it shows a level of consistency and excellence in performance. That's something to be held in high regard, and to finish top of the pile is an important asset for confidence, growth, and your ability to be a team.
On coming back to Ulster for final
There is a little bit enticement there for me for where it is, but my first thought was that the Kingspan Stadium is the target for the very fact it's the final. We've got four more games before that bridge can be crossed, and Ulster will take huge confidence in the fact that the Kingspan is where it will be hosted. It will be an extra incentive for them.
If we play them in the final, it would be a silly man to say that Ulster wouldn't be favourites purely because of where it is. They've got to fancy their chances that if they played any team here, they'd get a result.
We've got three incredibly tough games, all tough individually, and though it sounds diplomatic that is the honest truth - we can't afford to look past Connacht. If we can't get past Connacht, we've already shot ourselves in the foot in regards to top two. When it's time for the Ulster game, it'll be our full focus and we'll be looking for a good win there.
On his first game watching Ulster
It was my first couple of years in Northern Ireland, I was at primary school and I got taken by a friend and his dad. We stood in the first of the new stands and it was a miserable evening, I can't remember who they were playing but Tyrone Howe scored in the corner. But I came to the Heineken Cup win against Toulouse too, I went a few times.
I joined the academy when I was 18, straight from school, but it's been a while since I've been a part of this team. Many of things have moved on and it's been for the better of myself.
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