Last four ties are deemed ‘neutral’ and come under the auspices of tournament chiefs EPCR. That means responsibility for all facets, including the choice of ticket prices, passes to their hands for the penultimate round of games.

Leinster were unhappy with the prices charged this time last year for their semi-final meeting with Toulouse at the Aviva with Cullen making sure to point out in the days prior to the game that it was a neutral tie under EPCR supervision and thus beyond their control.

An attendance of 46,823 saw the province overcome the Top 14 giants that day and previous semi-finals against the same opposition, in 2019 and again in 2022, attracted just over 42,000 spectators each time.

Those are enormous numbers, especially for a tournament that has struggled to capture the imagination since the French and English unions took over the running of it, but Cullen is conscious that Croke Park holds almost twice that.

“Hopefully EPCR price the tickets appropriately for an 82,000 venue because you want a big crowd, don’t you? Obviously it’s an EPCR event, it’s not a Leinster event. That’s the big thing you’d ask, because you want a proper crowd there.

“You want to entice people to be there, to make it a special occasion rather than rip people off. You don’t want to rip people off.

“So hopefully it’s a proper game now as in we get a big crowd, because if we turn up there and whatever, 20,000 people … 20,000 is a lot of people but if it’s in an 82,000-capacity stadium then it’s a different kettle of fish?”

Cullen will return to Croker as head coach having captained the Leinster side that upset tournament favourites and holders Munster at GAA HQ in front of a world record crowd of 82,208 for a club rugby game back in 2009.

“Nobody gave us a chance in 2009 to win that game but it’s a different moment in time now for the group of players. It’s amazing to get that opportunity to do it because it’s such an iconic venue in Irish society. Not just sport. An amazing opportunity for this group.”

He has been back plenty of times in the intervening years. Ross Byrne wasn’t there in ’09 for that famous semi-final — he did make the final in Murrayfield — but the No 10 has been a frequent visitor to Jones’ Road down the years.

“I have, I’ve been a good bit like,” said Byrne who turned 29 last week. Obviously I go to a few Dublin games. It’s probably one of the premier stadiums in Europe. Hopefully we get a great crowd.”

But has he ever stood on Hill 16?

“I was never in the Hill, no. Prawn sandwich brigade.”

The Leinster changing-room has no shortage of GAA links. Among them are Robbie Henshaw who played minor football for Westmeath, Tadhg Furlong who turned out at underage for Horeswood in Wexford and Hugo Keenan who was a prospect with Kilmacud Crokes.

Sean O’Brien, contact skills coach now, has appeared for Fighting Cocks in Carlow while performance coach Declan Darcy was a key management figure under Jim Gavin as the Dubs dominated the football scene.