Paint colours are matched in traditional oil colours and mixed into a matt oil paint. Finally, additional detail is painted on by hand. Humphreys says it took a total of four months to do the job, with eight people working in the corridor for two months on the painting. All the talk is about how Leinster will be feeling after last season’s semi-final loss, which was a first defeat in four games against Munster. And that work has been highly labour intensive, with 50 project managers, 550 skilled labourers and a multitude of artisans needed to ensure all work could be done using traditional techniques. “We’ve got something like two dozen lime plasterers here, which is probably the lion’s share of that skill in the country,” says Frawley.

Leinster were 12-point favourites before the teams were named yesterday and that handicap has been pushed out to 15 after the match-day squads were known. So in seven high profile areas, rooms are being painstakingly restored to their Victorian splendour right down to their fixtures and fittings. One ceiling in what will be a private dining room is demanding three months of specialist painting. Elsewhere heritage issues are managed by installing en-suite bathrooms as pods that simply sit in the corners of rooms. It’s early days in the championship and we are nowhere near must-win territory, but Rowntree will want to see more of the same grit and fight that resulted in a 10-3 win over the Stormers (above) last week.

An extremely limited Scarlets outfit out-scored Leinster 5-0 over a 34-minute period either side of the break last Saturday. While Caelan Doris and friends may look at their erstwhile obliging rivals differently, it’s more important that Munster view themselves in a different light. The complexity stems from its initial construction in the 1870s. The building was, frankly, a basket case from the off. Built as an entirely independent structure from the Barlow train shed, it is bizarre to say the least, explains Galliford Try Construction South managing director James Armitage.

Farrell faces several interesting selection decisions ahead of the trip to Murrayfield. Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw, captain Johnny Sexton – the only one of the quartet to have played in the Six Nations to date – and Jamison Gibson-Park have all trained fully since recovering from injuries. Leinster’s theme this week has been about "putting things right" while Munster have, in comparison, kept their power dry. Since its closure, the building has been threatened with demolition twice, turned into drab offices, then closed down and left to rot in the late eighties after the owner, British Rail, could not renew its fire certificate. The rooms were divided into three groups, according to their historical significance. Seven were classified as “very important”, which means they have to be restored to their original condition. Most of the “not very important” rooms are in the roof, and RHWL has been allowed free rein on them (see below). Elsewhere, English Heritage has allowed fireplaces to be moved slightly and doors to be switched around. Watch live coverage of Bulls v Connacht in the United Rugby Championship from 2.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, and listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1

The firm wanted to develop the building jointly with Whitbread, which held the UK franchise for Marriott hotels, but after Whitbread sold its franchise, MLC decided to develop the hotel and apartments alone, then lease the hotel to Marriott. Once in control of the whole building, MLC raised the number of apartments to 67 and extended them to the second floor. “We preferred to have more apartments, as the hotel was more risky,” says Handelsman, “but the way the area has developed, the hotel will probably be the more lucrative element.” Yet few realise that this stunning façade is not that of the station at all - but of the Sir George Gilbert Scott-designed Midland Grand Hotel. Even fewer realise the building has lain vacant since 1986, and indeed was last used as a hotel in 1934. Getting plumbing into the apartments was difficult enough, but air-conditioning requirements meant space had to be found for bulky ductwork and plant. “Integrating the services and running these around the building has probably been the hardest part of the project,” says Frawley. Minimising ductwork and pipe runs was a key strategy, so plant is dotted around the building to be as near as possible to where it is needed: in the basement, on the roof of the new 207-bed extension, and in the roofspace of Barlow House, which connects the original hotel to the extension. Air-handling units have been hidden behind ceilings, services distributed vertically using the original lift shafts and false ceilings hide the horizontal runs. In many rooms a modern-looking pod houses the bathroom.