URC quarter-final: Leinster v Lions, Aviva Stadium, 8pm (TG4/Premier Sports)After the Lord Mayor’s show and all that. At least Leinster had two games and a down week to recover from last season’s crushing Champions Cup semi-final loss before gradually rediscovering their mojo in the URC knockout stages. This time around, they had a week to reset for a quarter-final.In making eight changes to his starting XV – and bringing in half a dozen players to the 23 after last Saturday’s bruising Bilbao beating – Leo Cullen has probably achieved the right balance in refreshing a deflated team. The URC has never been of a higher standard, nor harder to win. Leinster are the ultimate proof of this in requiring four attempts to win a competition they routinely conquered in its previous iterations. Bordeaux return to work on Sunday (their game was put back 24 hours on reaching last weekend’s final) with a vital game away to Toulon, no doubt in front of a full house, in their pursuit of a place in le barrage and a first Bouclier de Brennus.Granted, the URC has nothing like the tradition of the French championship. Even so, this quarter-final should be embraced as a gilt-edged opportunity for Leinster to earn a home semi-final en route to retaining their crown. After all, silverware is silverware. However, a somewhat anti-climactic quarter-final with a Saturday 8pm kick-off on a June bank holiday weekend is something of a litmus test of this competition’s importance to both the Leinster team and its supporter base. Furthermore, had Leinster’s return been in the more homely RDS, that might have offset the sense of anti-climax given the degree of Aviva Stadium fatigue out there. This is Leinster’s 14th of 15 home matches so far this season there. A return to the RDS cannot happen soon enough.There should be no doubting the Lions’ motivation. This is their first appearance in the URC knockout stages. Their squad has remained in Ireland since losing to Munster a fortnight ago. They lost 31-7 to Leinster here three weeks ago, but it was a one-score game entering the last 10 minutes. Nico Steyn replaces injured scrumhalf Morné van den Berg, who has undergone bicep surgery, while winger Erich Cronjé returns. Experienced hooker Franco Marais also returns on the bench alongside Rynhardt Jonker and Baby Boks 20-year-old scrumhalf Haashim Pead.This could be tricky for Leinster. The occasion may not be inspiring, although those in attendance will be true fans. Plenty rests on the shoulders of Sam Prendergast in the rather pointed absence of Ciarán Frawley, although Harry Byrne is among a fairly strong bench. Covering the bookies’ 17-point handicap looks a big ask. But it would still be a major shock if Leinster didn’t progress to another home semi-final against the Stormers or Cardiff.Leinster: Hugo Keenan, Jimmy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe, Sam Prendergast, Luke McGrath; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Caelan Doris (Capt). Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Alex Usanov, Thomas Clarkson, Diarmuid Mangan, Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Harry Byrne, Robbie HenshawLions: Quan Horn, Angelo Davids, Henco van Wyk, Richard Kriel, Erich Cronje, Chris Smith, Nico Steyn, SJ Kotze, PJ Botha, Sebastian Lombard, Reinhard Nothnagel, Darrien Landsberg, Siba Mahashe, Batho Hlekani, Francke Horn (Capt). Replacements: Franco Marais, Eddie Davids, RF Schoeman, Ruan Delport, Siba Qoma, JC Pretorius, Rynhardt Jonker, Haashim PeadReferee: Sam Grove-White (SRU)Forecast: Leinster to win.