IT MAY HAVE been a reasonably routine win for Leinster as they came away with all five points from Glasgow but Leo Cullen, the head coach, is not taking anything for granted, pointing out there are more and bigger tests to come.
Glasgow Warriors, he said, are a team that like to mix things up and that can pose problems. “It is a tough place to come, a niggly team that try to get under your skin with little pats on the head and pushing guys off the ball,” Cullen explained.
“The guys had good control at the start, a couple of good tries with Ronan (Kelleher) showing good power and strength to get in for the first and really good build up for the second that Hugo Keenan scored.
“We maybe lost our way a bit, were definitely a bit loose with possession and got turned over cheaply, misfired at set piece a few times. That meant we were having to defend quite a bit because we couldn’t hang onto possession.
Advertisement
“Eventually Glasgow got that try and Jack Conan in the sin bin but I was happy with the way we started the second half with 14 men and we were able to kick on from there. Overall we are pleased.”
Craig Watson / INPHO
Craig Watson / INPHO / INPHO
It puts Leinster in a good place ahead of the break for the November internationals but Cullen is already excited about the challenge when they do reassemble.
“The block has been good, the competition in the group has been good and guys have pushed each other on, which is what you want. It is a long season, though, you don’t win any trophies in October.
“When we come back together we have a big block of games, 10 on the bounce including four European games and four inter-pros, so it is unbelievably exciting.
“You want the young guys pushing on. You want to be successful as a team but also for them individually to push on. That competition has always been important for us in terms of driving the group forward.”
The other excitement for Cullen was playing in front of a full house and he cannot wait for Ireland to get back to the same position.
“Hopefully by the time we return, we are back to full crowds, it was great to have a full crowd here where the atmosphere is always exciting – hopefully we will have a bit of that for ourselves,” he added.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
13 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'It is a tough place to come, a niggly team that try to get under your skin'
IT MAY HAVE been a reasonably routine win for Leinster as they came away with all five points from Glasgow but Leo Cullen, the head coach, is not taking anything for granted, pointing out there are more and bigger tests to come.
Glasgow Warriors, he said, are a team that like to mix things up and that can pose problems. “It is a tough place to come, a niggly team that try to get under your skin with little pats on the head and pushing guys off the ball,” Cullen explained.
“The guys had good control at the start, a couple of good tries with Ronan (Kelleher) showing good power and strength to get in for the first and really good build up for the second that Hugo Keenan scored.
“We maybe lost our way a bit, were definitely a bit loose with possession and got turned over cheaply, misfired at set piece a few times. That meant we were having to defend quite a bit because we couldn’t hang onto possession.
“Eventually Glasgow got that try and Jack Conan in the sin bin but I was happy with the way we started the second half with 14 men and we were able to kick on from there. Overall we are pleased.”
It puts Leinster in a good place ahead of the break for the November internationals but Cullen is already excited about the challenge when they do reassemble.
“The block has been good, the competition in the group has been good and guys have pushed each other on, which is what you want. It is a long season, though, you don’t win any trophies in October.
“When we come back together we have a big block of games, 10 on the bounce including four European games and four inter-pros, so it is unbelievably exciting.
“You want the young guys pushing on. You want to be successful as a team but also for them individually to push on. That competition has always been important for us in terms of driving the group forward.”
The other excitement for Cullen was playing in front of a full house and he cannot wait for Ireland to get back to the same position.
“Hopefully by the time we return, we are back to full crowds, it was great to have a full crowd here where the atmosphere is always exciting – hopefully we will have a bit of that for ourselves,” he added.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Glasgow Irish Rugby Leinster Leo Cullen