Leo Cullen hailed his side's defence, as Leinster came through the "proper cauldron" of Thomond Park with a crucial 13-8 URC Interpro win against Munster.
An early Josh van der Flier try, and eight points from the boot of Harry Byrne, was enough for the defending champions in Limerick, as they gained revenge for their 31-14 hammering at the hands of their closest rivals in October.
That shock result at Croke Park was a crucial ingredient in this evening’s edgy and intense battle, and it was also a big factor in Thomond Park selling out weeks in advance, as 26,000 people packed into the home of rugby.
And while they didn’t win with style, a Christmas victory away to Munster will do just fine for Cullen (below).
"It's an amazing occasion in terms of the atmosphere," the Leinster head coach said after his side’s five-point win.
"It's full on, isn't it? It's a proper cauldron out there, I presume, to play in. It was a cauldron even for the coaches where we were sitting.
"But it's special, isn't it? It's a special occasion. It's great to be part of.
"What's the most important bit is to win and just get out of here and get on with the road, recovering and turn to the next challenge which is Connacht now on Saturday."
After a series of games where Leinster’s defence looked worryingly inconsistent, Jacques Nienaber’s system was back on form as they made 183 tackles against a Munster side that had the bulk of possession, while Rieko Ioane’s ball-and-all tackle on Jack Crowley in the final play of the game sealed the win.
"I thought as an occasion it's fantastic because you see there's two sets of players out there that are literally fighting tooth and nail," Cullen added.
"We had some good parts in the game and Munster had some good parts in the game.
"But listen, overall the defensive effort I thought was outstanding, which probably is what won us the game."
Munster coach Clayton McMillan (above) was left to rue his side’s inefficient attack as multiple handling errors saw them leave points behind them.
And the New Zealander took a side-swipe at the officiating as he praised Leinster’s ability to slow down the Munster breakdown.
"There were a couple of occasions where we needed to be better in our ball presentation," he said.
"But there were times, I think where men were swimming around the corners of rucks, something that was brought to the officials’ attention pre-game.
"We knew it was going to be a contest at the breakdown. A big song and dance was made about that being ruled out of the game at the beginning of the season. It doesn't seem like it's being reffed.
"But you don't deal with what you're dealing with on the day and we need to be better looking after that.
"I probably reiterate the fact that we need to be better in our own actions to make sure that that doesn't become an issue for us.
"It was disruptive but we knew it was going to be a contested breakdown. I think probably that area was the defining area in the game really."
