Robbie Henshaw said Leinster have a point to prove when they travel to Ulster in the BKT United Rugby Championship on Friday, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
Leinster lost home and away to Ulster last season and the northern province have started the season in impressive form, scoring 12 tries in victories over Connacht and Scarlets to sit level on points with Leinster at the top of the standings.
Henshaw was wearing Connacht colours when he last played at Kingspan Stadium but he started last November's meeting at the RDS, scoring Leinster’s sole try in a 20-10 defeat.
When asked about their rivalry with Ulster, Henshaw told RTÉ Sport: "It’s massive. It's been a while since I've played up in Kingspan, it’s real exciting times for us.
"We know what Ulster are going to bring. Looking back to last year they beat us twice, in the RDS and up there. We’ll have a point to prove going up this weekend but we’re under no illusions. It’s going to be a very tough game.
"They're playing great rugby at the moment. We're really looking forward to the challenge but it's going to be a tight one."
Henshaw’s midfield battle with Stuart McCloskey is one of a number of big match-ups in Belfast. The Ulster centre has started the season in impressive form and with Bundee Aki staring at a lengthy suspension, he could force his way into Ireland contention for the November Tests.
"Stu is a great player, he is a real talisman for Ulster," said Henshaw.
"He gets some go-forward ball but he's built in a nice range of passing and distribution skills over the last few years. They definitely use him a lot as their go-to man so that’ll probably be in our plans as well.
"We'd have to look at shutting him down to stop their momentum, but look across their backline - Billy Burns, Jacob Stockdale is back playing well. They have a wide variety of talented players in the backline that can change the game so we'll have to deal with all of them and not just Stuart."
Henshaw said the Leinster players are determined to send Stuart Lancaster off on a winning note after the senior coach confirmed he will depart at the end of the season to become Racing 92's director of rugby.
Henshaw was only a few months into his Leinster career when the former England boss came on board as senior coach in September 2016.
The province was at a low ebb, Henshaw having helped Connacht to a famous win over his new club in the previous season’s Pro14 final, while Lancaster was also looking to rebuild his coaching career following England’s failure at the 2015 Rugby World Cup,
"When he walked in the door and gave his story, it was unbelievable," said Henshaw.
"From telling us where he's been, what he went through with England in the World Cup and how he built himself back up, it was unbelievable resilience."
We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Bernard Jackman and Fiona Coghlan said Lancaster has made a huge impact at Leinster but will be disappointed if he departs with only one Champions Cup success
Under the stewardship of Lancaster and Leo Cullen, Leinster once again became the leading force in Irish rugby. A league and European double was achieved in Lancaster’s second season, and they went on to win three more domestic titles while also reaching two Champions Cup finals.
"He really took to Leinster as an organisation and one thing that stands out is how he looks at and tries to develop every player in the building," said Henshaw.
"At training on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday he’s always looking to include senior players, players playing on the weekend, but also the guys who aren't playing and how he can improve them to grow the club.
"That's probably what's been our weapon throughout the last few years. It’s how the wider squad, the younger lads coming up have developed. They have really stepped up when they’ve been given the chance. That's all down to Stu’s hard work.
We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Lancaster said it was tough telling the Leinster players he was leaving but feels the time is right for a new challenge with Racing 92.
"It was big news to hear on a Monday morning [that Lancaster was leaving] but it kind of spurs us on.
"We have Stuart for the rest of the season so we want to go and give our best shot in both competitions for the rest of the season and send him off on a high.
"Everyone in the club are really thankful and grateful to have been coached by such an inspirational guy, just a true character to help you grow as a player how and as a team.
"He really did wonders for this club and we’re truly grateful for it."
