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Finger of blame quickly pointed after Leinster's Champions Cup beatdown
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It’s a bitter, bitter blow for Leinster rugby. The four-time winners were battered into submission by a Bordeaux side, walking off the field at the San Mamés on the receiving end of a galling 41-19 rout.
In truth, it was a scoreline that arguably flattered the Irish province. Leinster scored first through Tommy O’Brien but it’s largely one-way traffic after that, the game over as a contest by halftime.
It’s a defeat that will go down as one of the most painful in Leinster’s illustrious history, not least given it’s one-sided nature. It’s now four Champions Cup final losses in just five seasons.
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Online, Leinster fans were looking to point the finger of blame. Question over the continuation of the current coaching ticket echoed across social media.
Popular South African account Scrumming flyhalf wrote: “Gonna take a huge coaching job to motivate the Leinster players to give it another go next year in the Champions Cup. Losing 4 finals in 5 years must be psychologically battering… Might need a brand new coaching staff to clean the slate.”
There was plenty of explicit criticism levelled at Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber, suggesting the current set-up isn’t working and it might time for change at the top in south Dublin.
One poster wrote: “Bordeaux-Bègles were outstanding. Agree with Andy Dunne on Off the Ball that Leinster aren’t learning from their mistakes. I disagree that there doesn’t need to be a change in personnel. Cullen’s race has been run for three seasons. The Nienaber project has failed.”
“The Nienaber experiment has been a farce,” wrote one irate X user. “Seems to be a bluffer. I’ve long thought that the Rassie/Nienaber stick has only workered because of the South African player resources. The guys produced nothing with Munster.”
“Leo Cullen needs to resign. Biggest budget in Europe. Keeps his mates on the coaching staff. Stacked to the high heavens with internationals,” wrote another. “Heads must roll.”
“It’s about time Leo Cullen moves on from Leinster. Gone stale – crying out for new ideas,” pitched in another.
Others picked up on that fact that Bordeaux’s attack – which decimated Leinster – was coached by Clare native Noel McNamara, having once been Dan Sheehan’s math teacher. McNamara was head coach of the Ireland U20s from 2018 to 2020 winning a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019 before being lost to the Irish rugby system.
One prankster wryly pointed out before the game: “Important to remember that Noel McNamara couldn’t beat Doris or Keenan in the Leinster Senior Cup which really must be weighing on Bordeaux mentally”
Another sarcastic Tweet read under Leinster’s full time post: “Remember everyone, all is fine and dandy. Three more years for Nienaber, three more years for Cullen, three more years for the whole coaching ticket! It doesn’t matter if we are committing structural suicide, no accountability is allowed to happen whatsoever!”
