'I just find that so frustrating and ignorant' - Williams debunks Cullen myth

Rugby pundit Matt Williams has decried the ‘ridiculous fallacy’ around Leinster head coach Leo Cullen, who he rates as one of the best indigenous Irish coaches of the professional era.

Leinster hammered Bath 64 – 7 in another masterful Heineken Champions Cup performance, a result which could see them through to next round despite the fact that were forced to ship a 28 – 0 loss on paper after their second round clash with Montpellier was cancelled by the EPCR.

Leinster are on fire again in Europe and the bookies have made them favorites for the competition, ahead of fellow European heavyweights Toulouse, Racing 92 and La Rochelle.

Yet despite their triumphs, the soft-spoken Cullen remains a relatively uncelebrated figure despite being the top dog in arguably Ireland’s most successful sporting franchise.

Former Scotland coach turned commentator Williams suggested there’s a perception that the Cullen regime at the province is coat-tailing on the coaching of Stuart Lancaster – an idea he describes as ‘ignorant’.

“He is probably the most outstanding indigenous Irish coach of the professional era as far as results go, cups and trophies in cabinets,” Cullen said on Virgin Sport. “There is this ridiculous fallacy that he sits up in his office drinking coffee and Stuart [Lancaster] does all the coaching. I just find that so frustrating and ignorant.”

Cullen, who won 221 caps for Leinster and was captain of three Heineken Cup-winning squads, took over as head coach at the start of the 2015/16 season, a period in which the province won four Pro14s and a Heineken Champions Cup.

“He pulls that coaching team together to win games. He has got his own style of doing that. To think that Leo doesn’t know what is going on or someone else is running it, that’s just plain ignorance.

“There are a whole load of ways to coach. Rod Macqueen and Ian McGeechan, they weren’t technically on the field doing it, they had other like Jim Telford doing all the technical work for McGeechan.

"He's probably the most outstanding indigenous Irish coach of the professional era, as far as results go."@MattRCNM believes Leo Cullen doesn't get the credit he deserves as Leinster Head Coach. #BATvLEI #HeinekenChampionsCup#VMTVRugby pic.twitter.com/JlNDxsm6qT

— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) January 22, 2022

“There are a whole lot of ways up the mountain. He has taken that team in a way up the mountain that is quite brilliant. He deserves a lot more praise from the Irish public.”

Cullen signed a one-year rolling contract extension last March. Leinster chief executive Mick Dawson confirmed the club had offered Cullen a two-year deal, which he did not take up for personal reasons.