Cullen: 'Toulouse win a really important step for a lot of Leinster players'
The eastern province may have been depleted by injuries, but they again demonstrated an unrivalled strength in depth to march towards the Champions Cup quarter-finals.
IF THIS WAS a rigorous examination of Leinster’s credentials, they had no problem in delving deeper into their unrivalled reservoir of talent to find the answer to all of the pre-game questions.
How would they cope without as many as eight frontline internationals, including their talismanic leader Johnny Sexton? How would their depleted backline, with an average age of just 24, stand up against an explosive Toulouse side?
Just fine, in fact.
Leinster regained control of Pool 1. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
The province’s historic double last season was built upon the squad depth Leo Cullen has carefully developed in recent years, and this was yet another demonstration of their remarkable resource pool. From 1 to 23, Leinster stood up and delivered on Saturday.
Four tries, a bonus-point victory, and a performance of considerable substance amounted to an excellent afternoon for Cullen’s side, but the manner in which those players slotting in for the high-profile absentees performed added to the overall satisfaction.
It was an emphatic response from the defending European champions, and a 12th straight home win in the competition sees them leapfrog Toulouse into pole position in Pool 1.
Crucially, Leinster travel to Wasps for the final round of pool games next weekend in control of their own destiny and very much on course for an all-important home quarter-final at the Aviva Stadium.
A performance bristling with physicality and intent from start to finish saw Leinster completely overmatch the French visitors at a packed RDS, as the hosts showed relentless ball retention and a clinical edge to power to a 29-13 victory.
It was a game won up front as Leinster earned front-foot ball and laid the platform off a solid set-piece footing to make their swathes of possession and territory count, crossing three times during a thunderous second-half display.
In defence, Leinster executed their gameplan to perfection as they suffocated the normally free-flowing, offloading Toulouse attack, and inflicted a first defeat on the four-time winners since September.
Leinster were tireless in their work-ethic, epitomised by their exemplary captain Rhys Ruddock, who never stopped in an all-action display, which included 15 tackles and 20 carries for 42 hard-earned metres.
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Toulouse brought defiance in defence, but needless to say Leinster’s primary ball carriers — James Ryan, Tadhg Furlong, Jack Conan, Scott Fardy and Cian Healy — all put in huge shifts, on both sides of the ball.
Garry Ringrose was a class above in another peerless man-of-the-match performance, while Ross Byrne again deputised for Sexton expertly, running the show and executing a sublime kick-pass for Dave Kearney to finish brilliantly in the far corner.
Adam Byrne and Josh van der Flier celebrate a job well done. Gary Carr / INPHO
Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO
It was a sweet moment for Kearney in his first European appearance in over 12 months, as both he and Adam Byrne justified their selections with try-scoring cameos to complement their work in defence. All over the park, there were big contributions.
“A lot of guys have been fighting hard to get in the team,” Cullen said. “And have been unlucky at various stages during the year with some of the selections and that is the way it is, the way we want it — it’s not something we just say. It’s the reality.
“I am delivering bad news to people on a weekly basis. They just have to be able to deal with it, try and improve, get the feedback, get better and wait for the next opportunity.
“That’s the cycle that they are in. We want guys to go in, play well, ultimately they pick the team, we just fill in the names on the team sheet with the actions that they produce and that we see on the field and every day that we train as well.
“It’s a good competitive group. They all want to be involved, they know what is at stake. There are big games coming up whether with Leinster or Ireland and they all want to go on and represent not just Leinster but Ireland as well. It was a good step today for a lot of them.”
After playing against a stiff breeze in the first half for a narrow 10-6 half-time lead, Leinster came firing out of the blocks on the restart, producing a rollicking 20-minute salvo to settle the contest through Kearney and Sean Cronin, who is in the best form of his career.
The hosts were then required to show their defensive mettle as they shut the door firmly on Toulouse despite wave-after-wave of red attack battering their line at a crucial juncture in the game. The roar which greeted James Tracy’s turnover after 38 gruelling phases spoke volumes.
“It is a really important step for a lot of players,” Cullen continued. “You play in the Pro14 and you pick up the experience there, the inter-pros, we talked about the step up in those matches over the last few weeks.
“We see the atmosphere, the crowd, coming down to the stadium today. It is a greater sense of occasion. The four-time European champions are in town, Toulouse are a team that we have so much respect for over the years. They are such a heavily resourced club.
“It wasn’t long ago that we were sitting in these press conferences and it was all doom and gloom about the future for the Irish provinces in Europe and will we have a chance in the game?
Cullen speaking at the post-match press conference. Oisin Keniry / INPHO
Oisin Keniry / INPHO / INPHO
“That’s something we are very conscious of that’s always there. There will always be players that some of the French teams will be able to sign that makes life very difficult. We have had to do things a slightly different way and the younger players are a huge part of that.
“A lot of investment goes into it in terms of coaching and facilities and that’s going to continue to go on. That’s part and parcel of what the club is trying to do. It was a very positive step for a number of guys. Conor O’Brien is one you mentioned; his first game in Europe today. Even though it is a few minutes at the end of the game it is a step in his development. He’ll be better for that experience.”
Leinster, Cullen says, will enjoy the victory over the weekend but attention will quickly turn to the next challenge, and a visit to the Ricoh Arena next Sunday where they will bid to complete the job and book an Aviva date in early April.
Wasps have failed to win any of their five pool outings to date but will pose a significant threat to the province, particularly as Dai Young’s side will want to avenge the round one hammering they suffered at the RDS.
Leinster travel to the English Midlands with a three-point cushion at the top of Pool 1 and are in a good position as they look to further strengthen their grip on their European crown.
“You have to turn the page quite quickly,” Cullen added. “It is the next challenge. We are at the top of the pool but we still have a big job to do next week. We will see how guys come through.
“Some who missed out today on tight calls, some who ran out of time in terms of their injuries, others getting close to coming into consideration, others who picked up bangs, we will make all those assessments.
“It is a slightly longer week. We still have a lot of work to do to try and win this pool, our pool. It’s quite simple in many ways just go over to Wasps and win the game. But we know it is a tough place to go. They won’t give it up easy so we need to make sure we are clear that we know how to manage the environment over there.
“We already have made a plan about Wasps threats. We had a tough day over there a few years ago. We understand fully how tough a challenge it will be. Listening to Dai Young talking about the mindset they are going to adopt this week, they are going to be a tough challenge for us. We need to make a plan and prepare as best we can.”
Luke McGrath’s knee injury, sustained in the build-up to Cronin’s try when he got caught in a ruck, was the only dampener for Leinster yesterday, with the scrum-half set for a scan early next week.
Cullen added that ‘two or three’ players who missed the win over Toulouse — including Sexton, Rob Kearney, Dan Leavy and Devin Toner — may come back into contention for Wasps, but the selection picture will become clearer as the week progresses.
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Cullen: 'Toulouse win a really important step for a lot of Leinster players'
Ryan Bailey reports from the RDS
IF THIS WAS a rigorous examination of Leinster’s credentials, they had no problem in delving deeper into their unrivalled reservoir of talent to find the answer to all of the pre-game questions.
How would they cope without as many as eight frontline internationals, including their talismanic leader Johnny Sexton? How would their depleted backline, with an average age of just 24, stand up against an explosive Toulouse side?
Just fine, in fact.
The province’s historic double last season was built upon the squad depth Leo Cullen has carefully developed in recent years, and this was yet another demonstration of their remarkable resource pool. From 1 to 23, Leinster stood up and delivered on Saturday.
Four tries, a bonus-point victory, and a performance of considerable substance amounted to an excellent afternoon for Cullen’s side, but the manner in which those players slotting in for the high-profile absentees performed added to the overall satisfaction.
It was an emphatic response from the defending European champions, and a 12th straight home win in the competition sees them leapfrog Toulouse into pole position in Pool 1.
Crucially, Leinster travel to Wasps for the final round of pool games next weekend in control of their own destiny and very much on course for an all-important home quarter-final at the Aviva Stadium.
A performance bristling with physicality and intent from start to finish saw Leinster completely overmatch the French visitors at a packed RDS, as the hosts showed relentless ball retention and a clinical edge to power to a 29-13 victory.
It was a game won up front as Leinster earned front-foot ball and laid the platform off a solid set-piece footing to make their swathes of possession and territory count, crossing three times during a thunderous second-half display.
In defence, Leinster executed their gameplan to perfection as they suffocated the normally free-flowing, offloading Toulouse attack, and inflicted a first defeat on the four-time winners since September.
Leinster were tireless in their work-ethic, epitomised by their exemplary captain Rhys Ruddock, who never stopped in an all-action display, which included 15 tackles and 20 carries for 42 hard-earned metres.
Toulouse brought defiance in defence, but needless to say Leinster’s primary ball carriers — James Ryan, Tadhg Furlong, Jack Conan, Scott Fardy and Cian Healy — all put in huge shifts, on both sides of the ball.
Garry Ringrose was a class above in another peerless man-of-the-match performance, while Ross Byrne again deputised for Sexton expertly, running the show and executing a sublime kick-pass for Dave Kearney to finish brilliantly in the far corner.
It was a sweet moment for Kearney in his first European appearance in over 12 months, as both he and Adam Byrne justified their selections with try-scoring cameos to complement their work in defence. All over the park, there were big contributions.
“A lot of guys have been fighting hard to get in the team,” Cullen said. “And have been unlucky at various stages during the year with some of the selections and that is the way it is, the way we want it — it’s not something we just say. It’s the reality.
“I am delivering bad news to people on a weekly basis. They just have to be able to deal with it, try and improve, get the feedback, get better and wait for the next opportunity.
“That’s the cycle that they are in. We want guys to go in, play well, ultimately they pick the team, we just fill in the names on the team sheet with the actions that they produce and that we see on the field and every day that we train as well.
“It’s a good competitive group. They all want to be involved, they know what is at stake. There are big games coming up whether with Leinster or Ireland and they all want to go on and represent not just Leinster but Ireland as well. It was a good step today for a lot of them.”
After playing against a stiff breeze in the first half for a narrow 10-6 half-time lead, Leinster came firing out of the blocks on the restart, producing a rollicking 20-minute salvo to settle the contest through Kearney and Sean Cronin, who is in the best form of his career.
The hosts were then required to show their defensive mettle as they shut the door firmly on Toulouse despite wave-after-wave of red attack battering their line at a crucial juncture in the game. The roar which greeted James Tracy’s turnover after 38 gruelling phases spoke volumes.
“It is a really important step for a lot of players,” Cullen continued. “You play in the Pro14 and you pick up the experience there, the inter-pros, we talked about the step up in those matches over the last few weeks.
“We see the atmosphere, the crowd, coming down to the stadium today. It is a greater sense of occasion. The four-time European champions are in town, Toulouse are a team that we have so much respect for over the years. They are such a heavily resourced club.
“It wasn’t long ago that we were sitting in these press conferences and it was all doom and gloom about the future for the Irish provinces in Europe and will we have a chance in the game?
“That’s something we are very conscious of that’s always there. There will always be players that some of the French teams will be able to sign that makes life very difficult. We have had to do things a slightly different way and the younger players are a huge part of that.
“A lot of investment goes into it in terms of coaching and facilities and that’s going to continue to go on. That’s part and parcel of what the club is trying to do. It was a very positive step for a number of guys. Conor O’Brien is one you mentioned; his first game in Europe today. Even though it is a few minutes at the end of the game it is a step in his development. He’ll be better for that experience.”
Leinster, Cullen says, will enjoy the victory over the weekend but attention will quickly turn to the next challenge, and a visit to the Ricoh Arena next Sunday where they will bid to complete the job and book an Aviva date in early April.
Wasps have failed to win any of their five pool outings to date but will pose a significant threat to the province, particularly as Dai Young’s side will want to avenge the round one hammering they suffered at the RDS.
Leinster travel to the English Midlands with a three-point cushion at the top of Pool 1 and are in a good position as they look to further strengthen their grip on their European crown.
“You have to turn the page quite quickly,” Cullen added. “It is the next challenge. We are at the top of the pool but we still have a big job to do next week. We will see how guys come through.
“It is a slightly longer week. We still have a lot of work to do to try and win this pool, our pool. It’s quite simple in many ways just go over to Wasps and win the game. But we know it is a tough place to go. They won’t give it up easy so we need to make sure we are clear that we know how to manage the environment over there.
“We already have made a plan about Wasps threats. We had a tough day over there a few years ago. We understand fully how tough a challenge it will be. Listening to Dai Young talking about the mindset they are going to adopt this week, they are going to be a tough challenge for us. We need to make a plan and prepare as best we can.”
Luke McGrath’s knee injury, sustained in the build-up to Cronin’s try when he got caught in a ruck, was the only dampener for Leinster yesterday, with the scrum-half set for a scan early next week.
Cullen added that ‘two or three’ players who missed the win over Toulouse — including Sexton, Rob Kearney, Dan Leavy and Devin Toner — may come back into contention for Wasps, but the selection picture will become clearer as the week progresses.
Subscribe to our new podcast, Heineken Rugby Weekly on The42, here:
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Champions Cup Heineken Champions Cup Leinster Leo Cullen Moving Forward