LEO’S FOURSIGHT

Cullen sees a Blues team fired up to claim quartet of PRO14 titles and disputes the claim Reds want it more

THE pre-match narrative has been that Munster want and need this more.

But Leo Cullen disagrees, despite the riches Leinster have accumulated.

Since Munster beat the Blues in May 2011 to claim the Magners League trophy at a rocking Thomond Park, the Reds have won the sum total of zero titles.

They’ve come close but ultimately have had to watch with growing frustration as Leinster picked up five final victories in this competition, plus two Champions Cup triumphs.

Johann van Graan’s side have also been second best to their great rivals in the last five meetings, although there is evidence the gap has narrowed.

Van Graan has picked a full strength side that includes in-form Ireland players such as Tadhg Beirne and Keith Earls.

Cullen, who wryly suggested the pundits are strongly backing Munster, said: “We know we’re playing against a hugely motivated team so what’s changed there really? I think they’re always pretty motivated to beat us.

“For us, it’s to make sure we’re motivated to beat them because if we lose it won’t be an enjoyable feeling. There are various different components that will be important.

“Motivation is one thing but tactics and how we go about translating it into the team, trying to understand the conditions and what it’s going to be like at 5pm, we’ll wait and see.”

In contrast, Cullen has benched Johnny Sexton and Tadhg Furlong after their recent Ireland exertions and kept James Lowe in reserve after his Six Nations difficulties. Garry Ringrose, James Ryan and Will Connors are injured.

Cullen nevertheless expects a team that includes 10 players who featured from the start or off the bench against England to perform at its usual high level.

“I think our guys enjoy competing,” he said. “Our guys have a chance to do something quite special as well, to lift four Guinness PRO14 titles in a row.

We’re at home and it means a huge amount to the players – who they represent, what they represent as well. There’s a huge amount of players who have had to work incredibly hard to get into this position so there’s a great responsibility on the 23.

“If you were picking the team based on minutes played you’d have a different team and we need to be open in understanding that.

“The players who have been picked to play and to represent the group are respectful of that fact as well. But that’s the challenge. The players know about all these individual sub-plots, I know the next international window is quite a while away but these are all trial games as such when you’re going up against your rival for further honours. There’s always so much in terms of motivating factor so hopefully our guys won’t be short in that department.”

Cullen claims keeping

Munster down is not what is really driving the champions.

“I’m not sure it’s about

Munster, that’s not our motivation,” he said.

“It’s about us in general.

We want to be as good as we can possibly be.”