Leo Cullen doesn’t want Pro14 glory to make Leinster ‘soft’

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen hailed the depth of quality at his disposal as the 22 players chosen to represent the 57 used this campaign duly delivered the province's fourth Pro14 title in succession.

Yet in his own inimitably understated way Cullen has now presided over the most bountiful period of dominance ever enjoyed by any team in the 20-year history of this competition.

In truth, save for a period at the start of the second half when clearly re-directed by the coaching think tank into a more route one approach, Leinster were not their normal clinical selves.

Had they been, they would have translated 64 per cent possession and 71 per cent territory into a more commanding win, but in their lines of running, handling, ball retention and work in the collisions on both sides of the ball, they were vastly superior than a more error-prone Munster, many of whose big men were simply stopped in their tracks.

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“Yeah delighted with the win for lots different reasons,” Cullen told reporters after the win. “It was a strange kind of game wasn’t it? I thought there was really good intent from the players all week coming back in from (Ireland) camp.

“They started the game with really good intent as well, made a few really good line breaks at different stages in the first half and then suddenly you’re walking in at half-time and 6-6 and you’re thinking ‘ooh, I don’t like the look of this’.

“For all the pressure and good play that we had, we struggled to convert that into scoreboard pressure in any real way.

“In fairness to the players, they were very composed at half time. They came out with similar intent at the start of the second half. The only difference is we actually get over for the try. We were a little bit more patient in the build-up to that so that was pleasing. That got us seven points in front which in a final, with the conditions being as tricky as they were out there, was going to be quite a big lead I think.

“Credit to Ross, he nailed the penalty a little bit later on. Overall, it’s a very good win. There were times - particularly around half time - where you were nervous because we weren’t really converting some of our pressure off some of the line breaks into points. That’s the most important piece in finals: points, but thankfully we had enough in the end.”

The sight of Devin Toner, Scott Fardy and Michael Bent lifting the trophy together, a custom normally reserved for departing or retiring players, strengthened the feeling that none of this long-serving trio will be back next season. Nor did Cullen dispel this feeling.

“Well Dev has just broken the record for most capped Leinster player - it’s just a brilliant moment for him, isn’t it? He’s such a great character Dev and Fards as well. The two of them have been just brilliant for us over the course of a season.”

Glue

Describing the trio as “the glue of the group” Cullen added: “Benty in what he delivers, particularly around the scrum, how he goes about his business, mentoring younger players and delivering all throughout the season when we’ve lots of players away.

“Sometimes we’re playing a game and he’s coming up with five scrum penalties on his own, which has such a big bearing on some of those games. He’s been brilliant and it’s great to see him up there.

“Fards, since he’s arrived, is in the thick of everything, leading on and off the field and is a great mentor for a lot of the younger players we have. It’s a very special moment seeing the three of those guys together.

“We can worry about the future in the future, but for now it was just the three of them enjoying the moment because they’re such key figures in the group.”

Losing at home to the Ospreys last week when conceding three late tries to let slip a 19-3 lead with a dozen minutes remaining was, said Cullen, “a timely reminder maybe, because winning can make you a little bit weak or soft, or whatever it is, and we need to ensure that that doesn’t happen for us next week.

“We started off the season if you remember by winning the Pro14 and we lost the following week to Saracens so it’s important that we don’t make that same mistake again. That’s not to say that Saracens didn’t come here that day with a good plan but maybe we were a little bit off that day.

“So it’s important that we’re not a little bit off when we turn up here again next Friday, but it’s that balance now, isn’t it? Short turnaround, enjoy the moment for a few hours and try and turn the page into Toulon now because it’s a massive challenge against a star-studded squad of players that we’ll be facing.”

With that game in mind, the departure of a bloodied Johnny Sexton soon after replacing a limping Ross Byrne appeared to be Leinster's biggest concern.

“He got a whack in the nose and he’ll go through his HIA inside and he’ll still follow his graduated return to play protocols and we’ll see how he comes through that.”