Leinster's Leo Cullen targeting a big win over Munster at Croke Park

Ciaran Frawley handed the no10 shirt and has been told to make it his own.

Leo Cullen desperately wants his current Leinster side to distance themselves from the trophy-less Leinster of the last three years.

And ahead of facing Munster at Croke Park (5.45pm) this evening, the coach has put all his front-line stars into the battle. He wants to win, and he aims to win big.

Ciaran Frawley will be actively told to hunt down Ireland incumbent Jack Crowley; RG Snyman has come as a gift from the gods; and where, in need of reserves, he has turned to the powerful 25 year-old Liam Turner for the wing.

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The Frawley-Crowley rivalry is surely on the cusp of an explosion, hopefully not violent, as the bigger 26-year-old Leinster player must view the 24-year-old as an upstart.

The drop-goal to beat South Africa can only have firmed up Frawley's belief he should be Ireland's no10 - and that hand-off last week ahead of his try suggests he is in the mood to fight for that right.

“We’re looking at Ciaran now," says Cullen. "He’s come out and publicly said he wants to be a no10.

"So last week he only played 30 minutes at no10 so it’s hard to get a full judgement on that, isn’t it? So we’ll see. We’re as intrigued as others are and it’s a great opportunity."

The arrival of Snyman is also playing into part of this evening's puzzle.

The Springbok double-RWC winner is the most powerful second-row to have ever played provincial rugby for Leinster and is being backed up by James Ryan which makes for a heavyweight pairing.

If Leinster have had all the backs all the years, they have never had anyone the likes of Snyman - and that includes Nathan Hines (2009-11) who is credited with a legendary physical presence and Brad Thorn (2012) who was also at the club.

"RG has been fantastic," continued Cullen, someone who knows a thing or two about playing in the second-row himself.

"As I touched on leading into last week, he picked up an injury that had ruled him out of the tail end of the Rugby Championship and we had got the benefit of that, of having RG in the building.

"He has been brilliant. You have probably heard some of the other players and coaches talking about him as well.

"He got through 50 minutes at the weekend and that’s another positive step - and there is that bit of local insight that he has from his time with Munster which is great!

"But, yeah, the lads are warming to him now. Himself and James Ryan will share the line-out calling, do bits, and are there not to give too much away."

Meanwhile, Leinster were able to roll out a selection of international backs, swapping in Jamie Osbourne for the still sidelined Robbie Henshaw and, despite a glut of right-wing injuries, still being able to turn to Liam Turner.

Turner is 25 years of age and, interestingly, more of a 'Munster' type winger in that he is likely to relish contact rather than look for the outside: right man, right place, right job, it seems.

Says Cullen: "Liam has been a brilliant role model for the group because he is a good leader. He has great leadership abilities in terms of doing his job primarily as a no13 but he has also done a good job on the wing.

"That's what you want from guys. Going back to Frawley, and Harry Byrne who is on the bench, all those different players have to be able to move positions for the good of the team because, ultimately, that's what it is all about.

"You just have to be there for the good of the team and Liam delivers that in spades for the group.

"So you have seen in some of those games - Connacht away, Cardiff away, they are the ones I'm visualising - where he does a great job for the team and comes up with big moments."

Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Liam Turner, Garry Ringrose, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe; Ciarán Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Lee Barron, Tadhg Furlong, RG Snyman, James Ryan, Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt)

Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Harry Byrne

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