A FEW YEARS ago, at the launch of the 2018/19 Champions Cup campaign, Leo Cullen remarked that success can make you weak.
The challenge, he said then, was to keep his boys motivated. Tonight in Thomond Park, he won that challenge.
You look at where they are now, chasing a record fifth URC title, top of the table, and you look at what they faced tonight, a team desperate for a win to maintain their bid to get a home quarter-final in this year’s URC, a team packed with individuals who had points to prove: Murray, O’Mahony, DeAllende, Farrell.
Yet it was Leinster who proved to be as determined as they were skilled. Rather than make you weak, success appears to be making them stronger.
Afterwards Cullen said: “The players maybe look back on days when we have come unstuck – La Rochelle last season as an example – and use these nights as opportunities to get ourselves ready for when we get into that type of scenario again.
“I’m sure if they had their time back, and they had to replay the La Rochelle match, there are things they would do slightly differently in that game. Everyone wants to be involved in the biggest days particularly now when you see the crowds come back.
“Over the last couple of seasons we have seen finals take place in empty stadiums. Now the crowds are back, everyone wants to be involved in big days. For a lot of the younger players who have come through (since the pandemic started), they have not really seen those occasions.
“So, in many ways, you have some older guys who want success because when you get to the tail end of your career, you want to have as much success as you possibly can, then you have the younger guys who want their first medal.
“The guys are pushing themselves on well.”
We saw that tonight. Four tries to one is quite a statement in Thomond Park, Cullen pointing to Leinster’s third quarter charge as the decisive period in the game.
“I thought we were much better in the second half; some of the kicking was good because there was a fair old breeze out there and it was a lot harder for us kicking in the first half for that reason.
“Ross (Byrne, their out-half) was good in particular at identifying the space in the backfield and we were much better at our kick chase (in the second half), which forces them to kick the ball out, which gives us lineout, possession, territory. We were much more clinical in the second half in terms of taking those opportunities.
“That was certainly pleasing as well.”
The win moves them ten points clear of nearest rivals, Ulster, in the URC standings.
“It is great to be in that position, and a huge credit has to go to the wider group for the position we find ourselves in at the moment; it is nice to have that bit of a cushion. We have to focus on Connacht now.”
