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'It's time for a change': Leinster fans turn on Leo Cullen in wake of loss
By Ian Cameron
Leinster’s fanbase has turned sharply on long-serving head coach Leo Cullen following the province’s latest Investec Champions Cup heartbreak — a 37–34 semi-final loss to Northampton Saints in Dublin.
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Cullen, who has guided Leinster to three successive finals without lifting the trophy, cut a muted figure post-match as he defended his position and insisted he remains the right man to lead the side forward.
“Yeah, I think I am. Yeah. I believe that I am, yes,” said Cullen in the post-match press conference.
But for many supporters, who have heretofore rightly given Cullen latitude after three hair’s breadth losses in Champions Cup finals, the result marked the end of the road.
Indeed the loss – in a game where Tommy Freeman scored a first-half hat-trick and Saints punished Leinster’s defensive lapses with ruthless precision – has triggered one of the most vocally critical reactions to Cullen’s tenure since he took charge in 2015.
One supporter opined: “That was a horror show defensively. I’m sick listening to Leo Cullen’s excuses after big-game losses. If he’s still there at the start of next season I will never go to a Leinster game again.”
Plenty of others echoed the sentiment. “I hope Leo Cullen stands down and is not pushed… I see a massive fall off of so-called ‘supporters’ not turning up at games… the sunshine fans… will stop going to the RDS. Good thing.”
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Another was more blunt: “The only question left is, who will replace Leo Cullen?” while another fan posted: “Leo Cullen has to be the worst manager in Irish sport. For the talent at his disposal, it’s embarrassing how poor he is doing.”
“Leo Cullen has to answer for a lot,” said one supporter, “but all those great leaders in the squad have to take responsibility too.”
Another added: “Leo Cullen is in big trouble, or should be. Does winning the URC really save the season?”
There was anger over selection, particularly the decision to leave All Blacks star Jordie Barrett on the bench: “Never seen anyone as Teflon as Leo Cullen. This is big boys sport. You pick your best team.” One summed it up bluntly: “A case study in wasting talent… no cohesion, no spirit, just stupid team selections.”
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Even some neutrals joined the chorus, albeit in a more considered fashion, suggesting the time had come for a fresh direction.
Wales-based rugby columnist Paul Williams wrote: “I absolutely love Leinster. I could watch them all day long and write about them for even longer. But it’s time for a change in that setup. That squad is way too good to not be making finals.”
Another wrote: “As a neutral, Leo Cullen is one of the good guys of World Rugby… but Leinster needs a change. A different voice. 2018 is a long time ago with such a well-resourced club.”
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They haven't won the European cup since 2018 and the URC since 2021. In fact they never won the URC. Leo Cullen has the highest win rate of all Leinster coaches, but scoring 50-0s in pool games or against an opposition who start the match already defeated is well and good, but pointless if you always trip in the few high pressure games that matter. Leinster are a show pony who play like they are coached but don't seem to have the moral resilience or the ability to adapt when things don't go their way… and that's down to coaching…
It may be the right call to look for a new head coach, but the trade-offs should be carefully considered.
Continuity is really valuable, and conversely changes at the top can cause immediate regression and even long-tail organizational trauma. New coaching brings new emphases, new game plans, new structures, new coaching assistants, new selections and a new culture. All of those may or may not be positive, but they are certain to be more or less disruptive, at least for a while.
Conversely, the really successful teams have had stable coaching over many years, with robust grooming of successors, retention of institutional knowledge, etc. The solution for Leinster may be to make some adjustments. And that should be rigorously considered before reaching for the ejector button.
Leinster delivered extraordinary victories in the two previous games. There were no calls for resignations. Had the ref allowed the disallowed Leinster try in this game there would have been no calls for resignations. To me it feels like there are millimeters between hero and zero in this case.
Good post. Cullen is a great long term squad building strategist. The ‘B Team’ performances in SA are testament to that. I think he should give more responsibility to the the likes of Nienaber (whatever that position is called).
On Saturday we had Conan, Barrett and Prendergast confabbing on whether to take the 3 points after the Tommy O’Brien penalty. And a wrong decision was reached.
These poor decisions have been going on a long time. Which coach fixes this? It looks like it falls between two stools. Give all onfield stuff to Nienaber. Cullen in charge of overall direction.