Leo Cullen says Leinster's opponents Munster have been galvanised by their difficult run of away fixtures, and expects a battle-hardened side to show up in Dublin for tomorrow's BKT United Rugby Championship semi-final (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player).
Leinster have won the last four meetings of the sides, and are heavy favourites to keep that run going and secure their place in the URC Grand Final on 27 May.
The hosts will be in the now familiar surrounding of the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, where they have played four of their last six games in all competitions.
It's in stark contrast to Graham Rowntree's side, whose last home game was 25 March. A win and a draw in South Africa against the Stormers and Sharks was followed by last week's gritty 14-5 win away to Glasgow in the quarters.
Cullen says he's been impressed with how his rivals have turned their season around, and says their "singular focus" reminds him of the Bulls side who knocked his own team out at this stage last season.
"Bulls last year, if you remember we lost the semi-final, it was a singular focus because they weren't in the Champions Cup so all their energy was in that. That’s a thing for our group, just to make sure we’re clear on.
"Without the Champions Cup distraction for them, they [Munster] were fully focused to go back to South Africa and get their win and get their draw, get out of there.
"They qualify for the knockout stages and pick up a great win again away from home against Glasgow. They have that week to manage, obviously they're not involved in the quarter-final or the semi-final of the Champions Cup so they get time to train and whatever else they do, recover and rest and keep their focus on the one thing.
"For us, it’s just been grinding on week to week, hence some of the changes in the selection, going back to that question."
Leinster have made seven changes from the side that comfortably saw off the Sharks 35-5 at the Aviva last week, and while several frontline stars have been rested ahead of next week's Champions Cup final, Cullen has included several who are likely to feature next week.
Robbie Henshaw and Rónan Kelleher both start having recovered from respective quad and shoulder issues, while Jimmy O'Brien, Luke McGrath, Ryan Baird, Jason Jenkins and Jack Conan are also in the first XV, with Josh van der Flier covering off the bench.
And Cullen says a lot of thought has gone into finding the balance between keeping players fresh for next week, while also giving Munster the respect they deserve.
"Every week is challenging because there's lots of guys that want to be in these big games. We're in this sequence, you look at the schedule, and if you win the games you keep coming back to the Aviva which is great.
"It's making sure we separate them all into the separate battles that they are. Teams come with different challenges. We got to this stage in the semi-final last year and came unstuck against the Bulls after a big win against Glasgow the week before.
"We had a decent win against the Sharks so it's good having some of that fresh energy coming in. We know we have a game for next week as well, and it's difficult because you need to make sure you stay focused on the job at hand. One game at a time and all those soundbites you hear."
The Leinster boss (above) stressed that it was vital they didn't fall into the same "trap" as last year's semi final.
"A Munster game, a derby game, that focuses the mind straight away.
"For players, they understand there's a much broader picture there as well because if you think that at some point there will be some sort of a World Cup squad picked and looking at some of those individual battles there, so whatever about competition in this URC, to get into a final, with the Irish teams going up against each other, a derby game, there is a hell of a lot more at stake always isn't it?
"It’s the same with supporters who come to the game. There’s always that good rivalry there and that’s what you need.
"Sporting rivalries are amazing. We’ve had a great rivalry with Munster for as long as I can remember anyway and hopefully again it will be a great occasion tomorrow."
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow Leinster v Munster via our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app, watch live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, or listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport.
Follow Stormers v Connacht via our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app, or listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport.
