Glasgow boss Dave Rennie may have had Leo Cullen for dinner in the past but Leinster are firmly on the lunch menu this afternoon.
The Leinster head coach was a guest at then-Chiefs boss Rennie’s house when he visited Waikato in his final year as a player.
"I watched the Chiefs play and I was lucky enough to go and watched them train as well. Dave Rennie even cooked me dinner in his house," Cullen revealed.
But the former Ireland lock is now firmly established as a coach in his own right and comes face to face with his former host in Scoutstoun at 1pm in the Champions Cup.
🎥 @GlasgowWarriors and @LeinsterRugby know each other well and both teams can't wait for this weekend's Round 2 clash #ChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/n6sKWY7mlz
— Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) October 20, 2017
Glasgow are six from six in the Pro14 but, given last week’s 24-15 loss at Exeter, Rennie, who welcomes back Stuart Hogg for the first time since his face injury sustained on the Lions tour, admits that nothing less than four points will suffice.
"This game was always a must-win, regardless of the Exeter result," Rennie said. "In this competition you need to win your home games and we’ve prepared well and are raring to go.
"Leinster were impressive last week. We are expecting another arm wrestle. It’ll be a brutal encounter.
"Stuart Hogg has really impressed during his time out injured. The energy he brings is infectious, his contribution on and off the field is influential.
"He’s got himself in great shape and is desperate to get back out there."
In training this week, Stuart Hogg set a new club speed record, reaching a top speed of 36.8kmh.
— Glasgow Warriors 🏉 (@GlasgowWarriors) October 20, 2017
Let us put that into context for you... pic.twitter.com/URbYvGikDE
Cullen was eager to talk up his old dinner companion, a two-time Super Rugby-winning coach: "He’s a fantastic coach, he’s assembled a very strong group of players.
"They’ve had an incredible start – six wins on the bounce in the league – they’re very competitive, very strong at the ruck."
And while the inspirational Hogg makes his seasonal debut, Cullen is also able to welcome back Ireland out-half Johnny Sexton, who missed out last week’s win over Montpellier with a dead leg.
"It’s good to have Johnny back," said Cullen. "He’s such a key leadership figure for us so it’s amazing to have his experience coming in.
"I thought he went very well in his first two games. He came in against Edinburgh, played against Munster the following week. He was a little bit unlucky last week, it was touch and go whether he’d play.
"That decision was made pretty early in the week so he’s been able to focus on Glasgow and we expect a big performance from him."
