Jimmy O'Brien won't hear that the Leinster v Munster derby isn't all it used to be.
O'Brien has faced the Reds three times - all at Thomond Park - so he'd love to get the nod for his fifth game in as many weeks.
"I've never played them in front of a home crowd," the 25-year-old said. "Tell that to Leo (Cullen) to get me selected!".
READ MORE: All bets off as Leinster and Munster collide but Andy Farrell faces anxious wait
Leinster have won eight of their last 10 clashes with Munster - and 11 of their 12 encounters at the Aviva Stadium. But the Eadestown man insists that the rivalry has not been blunted.
"Well, from my experience down in Thomond Park over Christmas, definitely that's not the case - and definitely not for the crowd," O'Brien said.
"I'm getting chirped to in my ear and everything, and it's great! I like that, it gets the atmosphere going.
"You can feel it between the players. You'd know a good few of them but there's no love lost when we play them."
O'Brien grinned while recalling what how one Munster supporter roared at him.
He said: "A man with a big thick Limerick accent was going, 'Jimmy O'Brien, you are useless...useless!'.
"I was just laughing away!".
O'Brien started as a centre before he was shifted to the wing and, last season, broke the province's try scoring record in a European game, scoring four at Bath.
This season, with Hugo Keenan injured, he has started at full-back in the last four games as the Blues cruised to the top of the URC table.
He is among the Blues' young guns who played in a first Champions Cup final last season. Losing in Marseille has added to their hunger.
O'Brien remembered: "Me and Hugo Keenan were sitting beside each other in the changing room and the two of us were like, 'We're going to do everything we can to win a Champions Cup next year'.
"It has definitely sharpened the focus. That's the one you want to win."
His New Zealand experience has him craving more Ireland involvement in November.
O'Brien was called into the Ireland set-up during the Six Nations, then made the extended touring squad in the summer. He didn't feature in the Test series against the All Blacks but did play in the loss and the win against the Maori All Blacks.
Andy Farrell is expected to name his squad today to face South Africa.
"I got the taste of it against the Maoris, loved the experience and I'd be delighted if I got in," O'Brien said.
"I felt like I was ready. I played in big games for Leinster last season - I wasn't fazed by it."
Getting up to speed during the Six Nations definitely helped in July. "It's massive," he acknowledged.
"When I went in for the Six Nations, I was kind of asking all the lads, trying to get everything going.
"When I went on the tour I was behind the eight ball a little bit, I didn't have everything down. But now I feel very confident."
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