Leinster head coach Leo Cullen says he won't get "bogged down" by the makeup of Gloucester's team for tomorrow night's Champions Cup meeting at the RDS [live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player].
The four-time champions are heavy favourites to pick up a bonus-point win tomorrow night, with their opponents making 13 changes from last week's win against Bordeaux-Begles, head coach George Skivington instead prioritising their Christmas Eve Premiership meeting with Leicester Tigers.
The English side have been heavily criticised for their selection, choosing to rest the likes of Chris Harris, Val Rapava Ruskin, Lewis Ludlow and Jonny May.
With eight of the 12 teams in Pool A advancing to the knockout stage of the competition, Gloucester would still be well-placed to earn a spot in the last 16, regardless of tomorrow's outcome.
However, Cullen says his focus is only on his own team.
"They got their five points [against Bordeaux], it probably gives them potentially a free-pass, that's what their logic is," he told RTÉ Sport.
"They made a few changes, but we don’t get too bogged down by it. They’re still a team that have strong cohesion, a very strong set-piece, a very strong lineout maul in particular.
"That’s been the focus for us this week, it doesn’t change a huge amount from our point of view."
By contrast, Leinster's side is close to full strength, with Johnny Sexton set to return from injury off the bench.
Cullen has made four changes to his starting team, with Luke McGrath, Rónan Kelleher (above), Ross Molony and Jack Conan rotating into the side, and he admits the six-day turnaround from last week's win has factored into his selection.
"A few changes, great to freshen the group up a little bit," he added.
"Johnny [Sexton] is back on the bench, Jordan Larmour is back on the bench as well, and we made a few changes to the starting 15, with a couple of guys dropping back to the bench.
"It's good for bit of freshness. I thought the performance was great last week, we had our challenges on the Friday. In many ways that helps focus the mind for the game on Saturday.
"It’s a very short turnaround but we just have to focus on a few simple things, try to deliver a big performance again at home at the RDS.
"I’m excited to get out there again, and hopefully the guys can deliver a controlled performance with intensity."
Leinster made a fast start against Racing in Le Havre last week, with Andrew Porter barreling over for their opening try inside five minutes.
And while Cullen is hoping his side can come out hot against Gloucester, he says it's important they work their way into the game.
"The big thing is going out and respecting the fundamentals in the game early. We talk about trying to impose our game on the opposition, that'll be the focus.
"Every week, the game starts at 0-0, so we just make sure we build our way into the game. For us it’s making sure we control what we can ourselves, and delivering a big performance."
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