Leo Cullen: 'This game takes on a life of its own'

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen says he expects Saturday's BKT United Rugby Championship inter-pro against Munster to be as ferocious as ever, as the pair meet for the first time this season.

Saturday's Round 6 URC game at the Aviva Stadium is set to be close to a full house in Ballsbridge, with 48,000 tickets sold as of Friday morning.

And while for many of Ireland's World Cup internationals this will be a second or even first game back since the Rugby World Cup, the Leinster coach says he expects motivation to be high.

"I think traditionally this has always been such a great fixture over the years, traditionally the season starts in September and you're building up towards Champions Cup. This is very different with the World Cup, but this game takes on a life of its own," he told RTÉ Sport.

"You see that in terms of the interest, it's close to sold out already which is fantastic again, it's a great endorsement for the fixture.

"There's two sets of players that'll fight tooth and nail for their respective teams and that's what people want to see, ultimately. Hopefully it'll be a great spectacle."

Cullen's side come in as favourites, with the league leaders naming their strongest available XV, as they look to gain revenge for last season's semi-final defeat to Munster back in May.

"I think we're still going through that process of getting everyone back together. We're still experimenting with a few different combinations at this time of year. It's a Round 6 game at the end of the day, but a Round 6 game that has bit more significance to it.

"The combinations are taking shape, and guys are working hard. We've a nice competitive group at the moment which is what you want, so we're just exited to get out and see the group play.

"They