Leinster must withstand a Bok-lash at the RDS tonight - with the Stormers intent on inflicting their first defeat of the season on the province (7.35pm)
The meeting of first and second in the URC table sees Leinster without their Six Nations winning stars, although the trophy itself will be on show at the venue from 6pm.
In contrast, the Stormers welcome back their cadre of South African internationals who recently took part in a three-week conditioning camp in Cape Town and Stellenbosch.
READ MORE: Jamie Osborne signs new Leinster deal
And John Dobson's charges arrived in Dublin in midweek with a plan to close the gap at the top, with Leinster holding a 12-point lead at the summit.
To that end they welcome back skipper Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Marvin Orie and Damian Willemse, while Paul de Wet partners Manie Libbok at half-back.
The Stormers can also boast a replacement bench that includes Herschel Jantjies and Jean-Luc du Plessis.
However Leo Cullen's side will secure top seeding if they at least draw this encounter.
And it is a real motivation for the province to have that done and dusted before they return to Champions Cup action next week, and ahead of their two-game trip to South Africa in the URC.
"It's a great game," said Leo Cullen yesterday. "They're coming with a mentality where they want to finish as high a seeding as possible.
"We're delighted to see the Stormers sending all of their Springbok guys up here - they're getting ready for a Champions Cup weekend as well.
"We've sat in these press conferences over the last few years, talking about the quality of the competition and now you're like, 'woof' - you see a team of Springboks arriving to the RDS for a round 16 game of the URC.
"It's an amazing test for our players. We're excited to see how our guys go as a team.
"They won't make it easy. They're sniffing an opportunity and the challenge for our guys is how they deal with the challenge across lots of different facets.
"They've got game-breaking players who can create something out of very little - Manie Libbok at no 10 and Damian Willemse at no 12 are very creative. But they have lots of other players, too.
"They'll play a very pragmatic type of game. Allied to that they have the power part to the game as well, forwards with plenty of experience who have been involved in a Rugby World Cup winning team.
"So it's a great test - a standalone game against a team who have brought all their Springboks up here.
"Our guys are getting excited by the challenge and hopefully the crowd will be excited, too, because we want to see two good teams going after each other."
While the Boks may take time to re-integrate into the Stormers way of playing, Leinster are hoping continuity works in their favour in the absence of their Grand Slam winners.
Bar Johnny Sexton, Jamie Osborne and possibly Rónan Kelleher, they could all return next week but for now Cullen has made just one personnel change from the last day out - the win over Edinburgh.
Rob Russell replaces the injured Osborne while Ciarán Frawley moves from full-back to inside centre, with Jordan Larmour moving from the wing to full-back.
LEINSTER: J Larmour, R Russell, L Turner, C Frawley, D Kearney, H Byrne, L McGrath; M Milne, J McKee, M Ala'alatoa, R Molony, J Jenkins, R Ruddock, S Penny, M Deegan.
Replacements: L Barron, E Byrne, V Abdaladze, B Deeny, W Connors, N McCarthy, C Tector, B Brownlee.
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