Ahead of Leinster's St Stephen’s Day trip to Munster, Leo Cullen has warned his players that they must "respect the fixture".
The sides meet in round eight of the BKT United Rugby Championship next Tuesday and the tie comes just a month after their last clash, which Leinster won 21-16 at the Aviva Stadium.
It also comes as the news of RG Snyman’s switch from Red to Blue, which was described by Munster boss Graham Rowntree as a "huge surprise", was confirmed, and, of course, in the middle of the festive season.
"There are plenty of distractions this time of year so [we have to] make sure we respect the fixture," said Cullen, whose side are top of the standings, three points clear of Glasgow.
"[Weather-wise] you need to be able to deal with what’s in front of you this time of year. You've got to make sure you get to the emotional pitch.
"It’s an exciting fixture and hopefully our guys will be up for the challenge."
Leinster come in off the back of two victories in the Investec Champions Cup, including a come-from-behind win over Sale at the weekend.
Munster, meanwhile, are reeling after blowing leads against Bayonne in a 17-17 draw and a 32-24 loss at Exeter.
Cullen says they will target a faster start against a side that comes out of the blocks quickly.
"In terms of the game it’s unusual because we only played them a few weeks ago," said the 45-year-old.
"They started that game well and we had to claw our way back into it.
"Munster have started a lot of their games well, even at the weekend against Exeter, the previous weekend against Bayonne so just making sure that we are a little more accurate.
"Even off the back of our own game against Sale where we had a slow start in the game.
"You probably can’t get away with that over the course of a season so making sure things are within our control and start the game a little better to settle into the game.
"[It’s a] full house anyway, good atmosphere for starters. The game and the environment, it’s a great occasion so for us just trying to prepare well this week."
On the signing of Snyman (above) for next season, Cullen was asked if the Springbok's doggedness was identified as a missing piece of the puzzle for Leinster, he said: "Yeah, potentially but that’s like any signing, you want anybody to be able to add in their own way and bring their experience to the table.
"He’s got experience at the top end of winning, two World Cups in particular.
"Who wouldn’t want a piece of that. It’s not that something we’ve gone after as a club really, in terms of signing players who have had that top-end World Cup experience so, it’s a little bit different for us."
Meanwhile, Leinster will be without Charles Ngatai for the game against Munster, fourth in the table, after the centre suffered a calf injury against Sale.
Harry Byrne (head injury) and Jason Jenkins (back) will be assessed later this week but Luke McGrath and Tommy O’Brien have recovered from knee and ankle injuries, respectively, and are available for the trip to Thomond.
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Watch Munster v Leinster in the BKT United Rugby Championship on 26 December from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1, and follow a live blog on www.rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.
