MORE SO THAN most of his international team-mates, Leo Cullen knows what it feels like to pick up the phone on squad announcement day and hear the words “I’m sorry.”
Since being handed his senior Irish debut by Eddie O’Sullivan in 2002, the Leinster captain has gone on to make 29 international appearances over the past nine seasons, remaining a familiar face in the national set-up after Declan Kidney assumed the role four years ago.
In 2003 and again in 2007, Cullen was very much in contention for Ireland’s World Cup panel, only to be cruelly omitted as O’Sullivan made his final heartbreaking cuts. At the tender age of 33, the second row knows that it is now or never if he is going to convince the new man in charge to buck that trend.
“It would mean the world to me [to make the squad],” Cullen said at yesterday’s Leinster jersey launch. “It’d be great for me personally, I’d love it.”
Of the two World Cups which he has narrowly missed out on, the Wicklow native has no difficulty in identifying which was the more bitter disappointment. The idea that he might not be travelling to Australia in the autumn of 2003 wasn’t even on his radar and the news, when it arrived, completely blindsided him.
“Eight years ago, I got the call the morning the squad was being announced. I was totally shocked, I didn’t think it was coming.”
I was all planned to go out there, to tell you the truth. It was a real disappointment.
When the time came for O’Sullivan to assemble his panel for the 2007 tournament in France, Cullen was plying his trade with the Leicester Tigers and was, in his own words, “a little bit out of the loop.” As the squad was whittled down and he remained in contention, however, the anticipation of a possible World Cup debut began to build and build before it was finally whisked away.
“Four years ago, I was in a situation where I was coming back from England. I was a little bit out of the loop and hadn’t really been involved,” Cullen said.
“Even though I was there until the final culling, I was expecting to get the call. I was massively disappointed and yeah, it was pretty tough.”
When you’re ambitious as a rugby player, it’s pretty tough sitting at home watching the games. There were real mixed emotions to tell you the truth.
Mindful that this will be his last chance to represent his country on the biggest stage, Cullen decided to undergo surgery on a shoulder problem last summer so that he would be in peak contention when the World Cup warm-up games roll around.
“It was part of the plan to get into the best possible shape for this year. Thankfully, I’m still on course. I seem to have navigated my way through and I’ll try and get a bit of form going into these August games.”
Those four warm-up matches next month – starting with the game against Scotland on 6 August – will be pivotal, both for Cullen and for the team as a whole. But, with the disappointment of past campaigns still resonating, the Leinster man is being careful not to get ahead of himself with lofty predictions and expectations.
“I think it’s a distraction to look at that end goal,” he warns. “I think we need to look at the process in front of us. I think in the past the team has looked too far down the road.
“[The warm-up campaign] is about preparing as best we can, getting ourselves in the best possible shape and then navigating our way through the pool.”
I don’t buy this Premier League era, It’s a farce and disrespectful to what came before.
Don’t worry Liverpool won’t be forgotten..
True.. It is a great story, but disrespectful to all the father and son champions before it who are left out by saying premier league era.
Sky invented english soccer- well that’s what they want you to think. This was never more evident than Vardys excellent run of goals this season ignoring Jimmy Dunne, it is only one example it like soccer was not played in England until 1992, like you see in extreme communist regimes where they start at year zero and all previous history is deleted.
Shaun Wright Phillips isn’t Ian Wright ‘s son .He got with her Ma ,thats all .
I have no doubt about that, The most successful club in England and still counting.
Not having a go but technically Man Utd are if you are on about English titles (20-18), and overall major trophy wins (62-60).
Major trophies? Thats way too much either way…. League, FA Cup, League Cup, CL, Europa/UEFA, CWC. Do not count Charity Shield, European Super cup or World Club…..
Would you count UEFA cup is that classed as a major? Considering it’s only open to teams not good enough for champions league.. For me that doesn’t make it a major.
So, when it was just champions enter European cup, and many great teams went into UEFA, considered minor? Any tournament that qualifies you for the following season is major. What do you consider major?
In England League, Champions League, FA Cup and League cup in the that order.. Then maybe world club cup followed by Europa league but I wouldn’t count them as majors especially the Europa League as it isn’t of the highest standard..
World club is a micky mouse FIFA show case of the highest order……. Really…. Europa cup has the teams that just miss out on CL, and CL teams who came 3rd….. Very low quality, huh? Ffs….
The UEFA cup had plenty of good teams when only champions could enter the European cup. The cup winners cup was of lower quality in the 80s/90s. The league stage of the Europa league is cat, no doubt but once hit 1/4 finals, it’s a good standard. The World Club
Championship is only a farce of a competition
As I said not of the highest standard never said low.. I mean great players don’t want to win it as they want the champions league.. It’s good for average clubs and the real prize for winning it now is a spot in the champions league..
Irish, FA cup and League cup is only taken serious by ‘quality ‘ teams if they have no hope in the league. And yes, I know who played League Cup final.
Liverpool 41 United 39 good man!
United are 40 Liverpool 41
The FA cup has not been won yet…. And 25 years of dominance and still behind? No wonder Sky Sports Man Utd like to say it all started in 92.
Who mentioned the FA cup? I hardly included that
Well, I missed something, where you get 40?
Google it and it comes up..
Yes, league, league cup, fa cup, european cup/cl, uefa/europa and European cup winners, get 39.
Well it’s seems world club championship is counted.. I guess that’s understandable as its best team from each winners from the champions league from all around the world..
Btw I still think Europa league shouldn’t count after 1992 as its second rate teams.. But let’s not argue over little things..
World club is a fifa showcase, played in japan, where only South American or European teams will win, where you get hear team names such as mamadodooi extreme warriors or whatever…… In Japan…. Causing a fixture congestion back home…. Yes, major trophy, unlike that mickey mouse cup Europa which has useless teams such as Sevilla, Dortmund, Liverpool, Man Utd, Atletico….. Whatever makes you sleep peacefully….. Funny too, you would say that about a trophy Man U have never even come close to winning….. I know Liverpool have never won World Club, been close…. Christ, it was also skipped for years….. If it was so major, that would never happen.
I rather my team win the world club cup than the Euorpa league and I think every fan would agree with that.. Teams who win the Europa league are teams who come 5th, 6th or 7th in there league.. Teams who win the World Club cup win the champions league.. Just look at the winners of it all top clubs. And the Japan teams you mentioned never won it.. Don’t worry tho Liverpool are still ahead…
Whatever, Europa cup was very important before Man Utd played Liverpool, after that is was a useless cup. World club is a money maker for FIFA, and nothing else, every fan knows that except you. But do not worry, I have no problem acknowledging Man Utd’s dominance that they had, they were brilliant, and yea, as a Pool fan, that is hard, but credit were credit is due…. But you demean a cup, where some of the finest teams in Europe still contest is not right, world club is a joke, no team wants to be there. I am not going to respond after this one, and also, I guess Man Utd stay at 39, your not going to count the cup winners? Where teams near the end could qualify……………?
Every team want to win the world club cup as it means they already won the champions league..
Btw I’m not the making this up just google it and United are 40 and Liverpool 41.. I don’t know why it bothers you so much.. Fair enough you don’t respect the World Cup and I don’t respect the Europa league for the past 20 years ( due to the greater number of teams taking part in the champions league) but nevertheless our opinions don’t matter in the overall count..
Like Father Like Son !
Who are u talking about chef
The team that irish brought up.
But Chef you follow Shamrock Rovers !!
Shels.