LEINSTER HEAD COACH Leo Cullen has won the URC Loch Lomond Coach of the Year award for 2021/22.
The province finished top of the overall standings at the end of the regular season, before seeing off the Glasgow Warriors with a 76-14 victory in the quarter-finals.
However, they came up short against the Vodacom Bulls last Friday and miss out on a spot in this weekend’s Grand Final.
“I’d like to thank the URC for the award, which I will accept on behalf of the wider coaching group and the 60 players that pulled on a Leinster Rugby jersey this year,” said Cullen after receiving the award, which was voted on by the competition’s 16 head coaches.
“The season most certainly did not end the way we would have liked but there were many highlights and positives over the year. I’d like to wish the DHL Stormers and the Vodacom Bulls the very best of luck in this weekend’s final.
Having played both teams recently, it will be an intriguing final and a great way to bring the curtain down on the first season of the United Rugby Championship.
“The introduction of the four South African clubs has raised the standards and we’ll all have to raise our game to compete with them next season. We would dearly love to be there and will watch with keen interest and we look forward to challenging for the title again next season.”
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LOL
@Michael Anthony: rewarding failure! The saffies must be laughing.
@Ciaran O’Mara: finished the league with his team top by a long way. Failure is finishing somewhere like 6th
@Chris Mc: Don’t win anything for finishing top of the league though do you?
@Paddy Kennedy: you win coach of the year
For me, Jake Whites tactics in the semi were spot on and sublimely executed, he whipped both in 90 mins.
@thesaltyurchin: I don’t understand why Cullen had ‘internationals’ sat on the bench for a semi final.. Almost like the plan was to steam roll the bulls and rest Sexton and Co for the final.. Made no sense… surely you start your first 15 in a semi..
@Stuart Collins: didn’t they start Byrne in at least one Pro 14 final when Sexton was fit?
@Stuart Collins: He must have been reading all the comments on here about a, b, c and d teams.
I say this as a Leinster fan, we lost the Champions Cup and the URC semi because we were out coached in both. Both teams stopped us from playing.
@Gearóid MacEachaidh: agree not really for La Rochelle but bad selection decisions made and very poor use of bench V Bulls. End of first half kicking the ball dead instead of up the field to go for points when Leinster were given a penalty is crazy. Not sure that is coaches fault but I dont understand the logic when down by 3. Not to mention the bucket load of unforced errors…whatever happened the coaches have to take some responsibility.
Too often like, these things get awarded to the team the wins the final or in this case tops the league. For me the coach of the year is one who surpasses expectations. Leinster as 4 time reigning champions, finishing top of the League is really that much of an achievement, but for Bulls to reach the final with a team that has no current Springboks, win or lose the final, I think White has surpassed expections, Dobson would be second.
Wrong choice for me. That award should have gone to Edinburgh’s Mike Blair.
To guide Edinburgh into the playoffs, finish top of the Scottish/Italian Shield, win the award for that pool as well and put in some stellar performances, like the 56-8 win over Connacht and of course being the only Northern side to win in South Africa by beating the Sharks during the regular season. It has to be his.
That said I think all these awards were decided on the regular season and made before the playoffs, and they are releasing each award in the build up to the final, based on that Dobson getting Stormers to finish 2nd in the league, is a bigger achievement that Cullen getting Leinster to finish top. Personally I think this award should have gone to Dobson.
Well ….if cullen picked fri nights team ..he should be sacked…
Alot of thought put in to that one haha