Leo Cullen defends his position after Leinster's Champions Cup exit

Head coach Leo Cullen has insisted he remains the right man to lead Leinster despite their latest Investec Champions Cup exit, a 37–34 loss semi-final loss to Northampton Saints that ended the province’s hopes of reaching a fourth successive final.

Cullen cut a subdued figure in the aftermath of a pulsating contest in Dublin, where a first-half hat-trick from Tommy Freeman and tries from Henry Pollock and James Ramm fired the Saints into the Cardiff final on May 24.

Freeman’s hat-trick — two of which came in the closing stages of the first half — helped the Premiership leaders into a 27–15 interval lead after a breathless opening forty minutes. Pollock’s solo effort and Ramm’s second-half score were further highlights in a performance brimming with ambition and clinical execution.

Leinster, who had kept clean sheets against Harlequins and Glasgow in the previous knockout rounds, responded through tries from Josh van der Flier (2), Tommy O’Brien, Caelan Doris and James Lowe, while Sam Prendergast landed three conversions and a penalty. But Cullen’s side couldn’t capitalise late on as Saints, reduced to 13 men in the dying minutes due to yellow cards for Josh Kemeny and Alex Coles, held firm under immense pressure.

When asked whether he thought he was the right man to lead Leinster back to European glory, Cullen was adamant he was.

“Yeah, I think I am. Yeah. I believe that I am, yes,” said Cullen. “I think we’ve worked hard to try and improve the group year-on-year and I think the group is very strong right now. As I said, that’s not something that’s just created last week, it’s year-on-year – and I think we’ve a stronger group now.

“We’ve lost three finals over the last three years, yeah, but I believe we’ve a stronger group now than we’ve had and that’s the way I will continue to approach the day-to-day in terms of preparing the short term, medium term, long term. So, yes. And I’m very committed to that as well.”

Northampton’s win sets up a final against either Toulouse or Bordeaux-Bègles, while Leinster are left to contemplate another near miss in Europe.

“In the dressing room it’s a pretty sombre place as you can imagine,” said Cullen. “You set off at the start of the season and you know the final is in Cardiff. Everything is building towards that. Everyone is imagining themselves, every team, I’m sure, is imagining themselves there in the final.

“There is so, so much work that goes into a team getting to a semi-final…when you lose it is pretty horrific and that is the feeling we are experiencing at the moment, because I think it was one of those games. You’d love to have another crack at it straight away. But unfortunately, you don’t get that opportunity and that’s sport.”