Leinster top the URC table after eight straight victories but the 20-12 defeat of Connacht was another patchy display. Several more frontliners are set to join the fray in Limerick, however.
Leo Cullen wants a fast start at Thomond Park and so wants his players switched on when they have to be in Christmas week.
Next up is the annual trip to Limerick, albeit the fixture is taking place two days after Christmas this year instead of on St Stephen's Day. "Quite often it comes down to the preparation leading into these games," Cullen said. The last time that Munster beat Leinster at Thomond Park was in December 2018. Asked if the famous ground was still the fortress that it was in his own playing days, Cullen replied: "What do you mean by fortress? Knights at the gate? It’s very hard to win there, I would suggest, so I don’t think it's that much easier.
"There's no point training when you are thinking about family time and when you're in family time thinking about training because you need to be in the moment of what you're doing. It’s the skill at this time of year. It’s easy to say, it's so much harder to do it. It will always be a great occasion regardless."
"We get four, Connacht get zero. I think everyone could look around and get too ambitious looking for four tries too early potentially in that exact moment, and even at the end then to take the bonus point away from Connacht, so it's important for us as well.
Leinster Rugby Munster Rugby Connacht Rugby Leo Cullen Sam Prendergast Ross Byrne Christmas
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