LEO CONCERN AT CONNACHT CONNECTIONS

LEO CULLEN is braced for friendly fire from familiar faces as Leinster look to dodge a first home defeat to Connacht since 2002.

Riding high at the top of the Pro14 standings, the Blues go into this derby clash after comprehensive back-toback Champions Cup wins over Bath.

Cullen (inset) has made 12 changes to face Connacht, who have a number of former Leinster prospects in their ranks.

And that is precisely why the Leinster coach expects the men from the west to force the issue at the RDS.

Starters Cian Kelleher, Tom Farrell, Paul Boyle and Gavin Thornbury have all swapped life in the Leinster set-up for regular game time with Connacht.

“There are always players at Connacht who have passed through the doors at Leinster and they have a point to prove,” said Cullen.

“That always makes them incredibly dangerous. We saw first hand last season when we got beaten 47-10 in the Sportsgrounds what it means to them playing Leinster.

“It was a tough physical challenge earlier this year so it’s a game that has a lot of threat for us, always.

“We’ve had some very close games and some games where we’ve been well beaten, particularly down in Galway over the last 10 years or so.

“I know a lot of those guys are good, they’ve gone away and proved themselves in a different environment.

“When they come back to play Leinster they have a point to prove.”

While Connacht have enjoyed some notable successes over the Pro14 champions in Galway, they have not won in the capital for 16 years.

Cullen was playing in Leinster’s second-row that day in Donnybrook, when Dubliner Mark Mchugh snatched a

26-23 victory for Connacht with an injurytime drop goal.

Recalling that defeat, Cullen said yesterday: “I always remember the feeling at the end of these games and the feeling that ‘I’m going to remember this one for a long time’.

“You know people are going to be reminding you of it in years to come. I remember what it meant to the Connacht players at the time.

“It’s the nature of these games, there’s something extra special about them. Losing stays with you forever.

“We’ve got to make sure we get as much right as we possibly can to ensure that doesn’t happen to us.”