Leo Cullen braced for backlash from 'niggly' Glasgow Warriors

If Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith needs any motivation for his side ahead of this afternoon's meeting with Leinster, he doesn't have to go far back in the fixtures list to find it.

It's just under six months since the Warriors last came to Dublin, but the Scots were humiliated at the RDS that afternoon, conceding 12 tries and 76 points to a Leinster side who would have had been better served with a training session.

It was the final game in charge for head coach Danny Wilson. He was sacked shortly after, the brutal defeat in Dublin the final straw in a season which saw them miss out on Champions Cup qualification.

South Africa's Franco Smith came in over the summer, and after three games it's hard to get a read on the 2015 champions.

Six games in, and they have three wins and three defeats. All three wins have come at home, all three defeats have been away. Not exactly form that would make Leinster fans sweat, but at the very least a backlash for that embarrassing display in June is the least anyone can expect.

"At their best, Glasgow are a niggly team, into everything. They make life uncomfortable for you," said Leinster head coach Leo Cullen.

"You've seen it in plenty of games Glasgow have been involved in over the years, there's skirmishes going on, plenty of things in the game, so we need to make sure we're ready for that type of physical game."

Conditions could dictate the kind of game we get at the RDS, with rain expected in Dublin 4.

It could effect the Warriors' possession game; only Zebre have kicked less than Smith's side so far this season, while Leinster are among the league's highest totals in that department.

The ruck is also likely to be an area of interest, with Glasgow forcing more turnovers than