LEO CULLEN’S NEWFOUND forthright media persona was discussed on today’s Rugby Weekly Extra, a podcast for subscribers to The 42. 

The Leinster boss this week took aim at the hype and around his team as expectations mount ahead of their Champions Cup semi-final against Toulouse on Saturday at the Aviva Stadium.  

Eoin Toolan, the former Ireland analyst, said Cullen will have taken lessons from last season, when a hotly fancied Leinster lost the Champions Cup final to La Rochelle. The province have also under-delivered on the biggest days in recent season, Toolan said.

“It’s possibly a learning from last year in how they frame the final, you would think,” Toolan said.

“Lower expectations and some cold hard facts. The fact is they’ve probably under-delivered, Leinster, in terms of trophies when you look at how dominant they are in the regular season and when it’s gotten to the crunch games they just haven’t delivered in recent years, particularly obviously Europe, which something they desperately want to rectify. No harm talking up Toulouse, they do have the five stars, they’re top of the table and top of the Top 14.” 

Toolan added: “Cullen often doesn’t give a whole lot away, and I think he’s probably gone the other side of things now and tried to create a rhetoric and a narrative around Leinster, even off field, stuff around salary cap and I guess the luxuries that are afforded to Leinster. I think he’s been pretty protective of the squad in that regard as well.” 

Toolan said Cullen is possibly trying to create a backs-to-the-wall atmosphere following Leinster’s heavy defeat to the Bulls at the weekend  

“Obviously nothing to do with the team that’s going to take to the field this week but from a club’s perspective I think it’s another little dig there, and it’s us against them this weekend. And I think it’s a decent way of framing it. Leinster need to have the focus and resolve to deliver in what is a huge knockout game.”  

Murray Kinsella, rugby journalist with The 42, said he’s “enjoying Leo’s new media personality in responding to narratives and criticisms”. 

Kinsella added: “And he’s not stupid, like he completely understands the quality of the school system etc and how Leinster do have a financial strength behind them, but he’s trying to respond to others’ strong opinions in that sphere. 

“He mentioned Richard Wigglesworth (interim head coach at Leicester Tigers) again unprompted on Monday. And even the fact that he did that Monday press conference given the fact he’s doing one on Friday was very unusual, so you knew he had points to make.  

“He understands that people are probably going to be antagonised by some of the stuff he said, as I say I’m kind of enjoying the fact that he’s not shying away from all that.”   

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