LEINSTER HEAD COACH Leo Cullen has defended his team selection for tonight’s clash with Edinburgh and insists the omission of key players doesn’t degrade the competition.
On paper, Cullen has opted for a weaker side than what was available to him with the starting XV showing 12 changes to the one which beat Munster.
With only Sean O’Brien, Marty Moore and Jack Conan in the treatment room, Leinster fans heading to the RDS tonight might have expected to see a side brimming with international pedigree on show.
And while the team selected has no shortage of talent, the omission of Johnny Sexton and Jamie Heaslip, having had a fortnight to recover and another break before the next game, at such a crucial juncture in the campaign will raise some eyebrows.
“I think we’ve got 15 star players starting,” Cullen replied when questioned about his selection. “That would be my message. This is the best team to represent Leinster this weekend.
“These are 15 star players in my eyes. It is very hard for me to buy into the statement [weakened team] you’re making.
“There are so many different factors. You’re weighing up all the time just to come up with the right decision for what’s best for us as a group.
“The guys who are playing this week we feel will do a really good job for us as a team and as a group. We’re constantly weighing it up all the time.”
While Rob Kearney makes his first appearance for the province since January, the likes of Sexton, Heaslip and Devin Toner drop out for the visit of Alan Solomons’ side.
Sexton has been nursing a couple of niggles since the conclusion of the Six Nations campaign while Heaslip’s workload is being managed after he featured in every minute of the championship.
But Cullen dispelled the notion that the IRFU’s player welfare policy had a bearing on his team selection.
“We don’t really have an allocation [of minutes] for individuals,” he added. “We’ll manage guys individually but we don’t really have a magic number, if that’s what you’re asking me.
“He could have been available but we just went with the guys who we feel will do a really good job.”
The head coach will be hoping his selection pays dividends with the eastern province closing in on a home semi-final.
Victory over the Scottish side would be a significant step in that direction but there is little margin for error with just five points separating the top four.
It’s set to be a thrilling climax to the Pro12 season and Cullen believes the competitive nature of the league is one of the many positives about it.
“It is easy to knock things,” the former Ireland international said. “There are a lot of positives about the league as well. The league has got more competitive, you can see there is a lot more excitement about the games that are coming up this week.
“We are sitting in first, just about, playing against Edinburgh who are pushing to get a European spot.
“There is a lot of stake in that game, you know, there is a lot of hype about Munster who are in sixth playing against Connacht who are in second and everyone knows what’s at stake for those two teams.
“Then you look at Scarlets who are at home to Glasgow, one sitting fourth and one sitting third, so really exciting match-up. So I would rather talk of the positives of those games rather than talk about the negatives or compare us to other leagues.
“We could compare ourselves to Super Rugby but why not talk about the positive that there were 43,000 in the Aviva for our last home game?
“How many teams around the world had 43,000 for their last home game – do you/we have any idea?
“I wouldn’t say there was any and that’s an unbelievable positive. I would say it is easy to pick things apart but can we focus on the odd good thing as well because it is easy to bash the Pro12 standard of this and that but we are making do with what we’ve got and it is important not to lose sight of some of the really positive things as well.”
With the popularity of Super Rugby and domestic leagues in England and France spiraling, many quarters would argue that the Pro12 is in danger of being left behind.
While a lot of it comes down to finances and resources at the disposal of each club, Cullen believes the Pro12, on its day, can offer a similar, if not better, product than the leading leagues.
“The Pro12 doesn’t have 100 years of tradition like some of the other leagues so we just have to try and grow it. Maybe in 100 years’ time we will be as good as the Top 14 or the Premiership. But there is a lot of positives.
“The Pro12 teams have competed pretty well in Europe over the years, there’s this cyclical nature to it. Back in 2007 there was an all-English final, Wasps versus Leicester and I was playing for Leicester at the time, 2012 there’s an all-Irish final so it does shift as the years go on.
“Hopefully next year there will be an all-Irish final again – that’s what we’re aspiring to.”
“We’ve got to be as smart as we possibly can with the resources we have. The market place is incredibly competitive for sure. It’s probably been more competitive than it’s been, but all the time you’ve got to find ‘what’s your point of difference’ and we’re still aspiring to be the best team in Europe so we’re still working towards that goal.”
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