Leinster must learn the lessons from last season's disappointing run-in as they once again target two trophies, according to assistant coach Robin McBryde.
Leo Cullen's side impressed in regular season last year but ended up empty-handed following a Heineken Champions Cup final loss to La Rochelle, whom they will meet again in this year's decider, and a shock home URC semi-final defeat to the Vodacom Bulls the week after they had trounced Glasgow 76-14 in the quarter-final.
Leinster dismissed Toulouse in the European Cup semi-final in a strangely similar fashion to last season and now prepare for a URC quarter-final against the Cell C Sharks on Saturday (5pm, live on RTÉ).
Earlier this season, Leinster, with a star-studded team including Johnny Sexton, beat the Sharks, minus a number of their Springboks, in a high-quality clash at the RDS, 54-34.
"In regards to managing the squad that way, there are certain things that obviously still hurt from last year," the assistant coach told RTÉ Sport.
"I'm talking about the end of season in particular, following the loss to La Rochelle, back in the URC, we gorged ourselves on the win against Glasgow and we really got caught against the Bulls.
"And there are similarities with regards to that where the Sharks have had a couple of weeks just preparing for this game.
"Wednesday, I think, they are arriving. The Bulls stayed here all week after playing up in Belfast last year and when we reflected on some of the lessons we can learn from selection.
"Did we get it right? Should we have changed more? The build-up? We’ve got to learn those lessons. It’s one thing we can’t be caught on.
"Emotionally, it’s going to be tough to get us up but we’ve got to get back up. It’s as simple as that.
"There are no excuses. We won’t be caught out again. I think it will be a tough challenge on Saturday, going from the Champions Cup to the URC, but the level of opposition is going to equally as tough a match.
"When you look at our game against them at the start of the year it was a close enough affair, a very physical affair and we’re not expecting anything less on Saturday."
Leinster's players have been open about the hurt of losing by such narrow margins last season and using that hurt to get over the line this time.
"Maybe so," said McBryde (above).
"Each player is different in the way they approach it but, yeah, it’s gives us an opportunity, but you've got to make the most of that opportunity when it comes. [La Rochelle] are a good team, you could see at the weekend against Exeter they are a very strong team.
"Even though we like to think we know what’s coming we’ve still go to stop them. It’s going to be tough but we take it one match at a time.
"We can’t get ahead of ourselves and focus on that game. Hopefully we’ve got two games to go, starting with the Sharks on Saturday.
"It's important that you get the right feedback from the game, with regards to where you stand and how strong you actually are or some area that you think is ticked off but it’s not quite ticked off.
"You are aware of weakness etc, that’s what it’s all about at the business end, coming up against the best teams and it’s exciting to be involved."
Watch the BKT URC quarter-finals, Leinster v Sharks (Saturday, 5pm) and Glasgow Warriors v Munster (Saturday, 7.35pm), on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport or listen to live commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
Follow a live blog of Ulster v Connacht (Friday, 7.35pm) or listen to live commentary on Game On on RTÉ 2fm.
