Leo Cullen fires off: 'You guys love kicking the boot into us'

Head coach Leo Cullen cut an at times spiky figure in Leinster’s post-match press conference following his side’s Investec Champions Cup win over Toulon.

Normally one of professional rugby’s more considered top dogs, Cullen aimed a few barbs at the Irish press following their nervy 29-25 win over the French heavyweights.

Tries from Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Garry Ringrose and captain Caelan Doris; plus Harry Byrne’s at times erratic boot, built a commanding position despite two second-quarter sin-bins.

Pierre Mignoni’s side surged care of a pair of late tries from Baptiste Serin and Gael Drean, but Leinster’s resilience and defence held firm to secure a ninth Champions Cup final appearance.

“At 29-11, for everyone’s stress levels, it would be nice if you could keep the margin like that, but we know the quality Toulon have off the bench,” said Cullen, reflecting on the final 15 minutes of the contest. “Caelan touched on the international quality they bring on. They recruit from the four corners of the globe – that’s the firepower they have. And yeah, because indeed, they tested us.”

Fixture

Investec Champions Cup

Leinster

29 - 25

Full-time

Toulon

All Stats and Data

“A few times we were scrambling to get in for tries. I wasn’t sure the legality of that line drive that they had, but they score again and you’re sort of hanging in there down at the end.

“That’s where you just need to show a bit of courage and chase back at the end to force the knock-on. That’s just great commitment.

“You asked about the last 10 minutes. I think you naturally sort of try and protect things, whereas the other team is just throwing everything at it.”

Harking back to last year’s semi-final loss to Northampton Saints, Cullen directed a few digs at the press pack over how he perceives Leinster have been covered at the business end of the season.

“We were sitting in this room this time last year. We were in that situation and we were throwing everything at Northampton. Pollock gets a poach – it should have been a penalty. Like I said, it’s clearly illegal – but nobody talked about it after. Just wanted to kick the boot into us, don’t you?

“But that’s the way it goes.”

“The reality is the way I’d see a semi-final is two teams go at it, and there’s a winner and a loser. I thought Toulon were amazing in terms of how they stuck at it to the very end.

“Some of the semi-finals over the years are decided on the tightest margins. It just comes down to moments, and you’ve got to keep battling for every single one.”

“We move on into the next game. I’d be very kind to Toulon because I thought they showed great spirit to the very end, which is what you want in this tournament.

“I can’t speak for other teams, but we love it. It’s not easy when you’re up against these juggernaut teams.”

Cullen correctly pointed out that this was the first time in five attempts that Leinster had beaten Toulon, a remarkable stat given the Irish outfit has won the competition four times.

“This is the first time we’ve ever beaten Toulon. You know, ’cause that goes back to the period where they were signing global superstars. That’s the firepower they have in that competition.

“We’re delighted with what the atmosphere the fans created today. It was a really special day. I have to applaud the players for the desire they’ve shown through the season to want to put themselves back in this situation again.

“Because, listen, you guys love throwing the boot into us when things don’t go well. Well, listen, whatever sells, obviously, because you read plenty of it.

“The courage that the players show, you know, it’s testament to the group.”

“Caelan leads the group incredibly well. You’d love if everybody got behind the team now, wouldn’t you? Because it’s not easy doing this.

“It’s not necessarily always pretty, but that’s the game. It’s insanely hard to win this competition.”

It indeed was a brutal game for the home side, who were left with a fair amount of walking wounded to contend with this week, with a particularly ugly collision involving centre Robbie Henshaw.

“Him [Robbie Henshaw] and Josh [van der Flier] both had knocks so they’ll go through the return-to-play protocols. We’ll get them checked and see how they are. Jack [Conan] was hobbling off with his knee, so we’ll inject that and reassess. Tommy [O’Brien] was cramping. Jamison [Gibson-Park] took a few knocks – you could see they were targeting him early – but he managed himself through it.

“We’re fighting on two fronts. We turn attention back to the URC now because we’ve a big game against the Lions next week.

“To get to a final you’ve got to win a lot of games. There’s a lot of moving parts. We just need to keep managing the group and making these weeks special, because the group is always changing. That’s the challenge.”