LEO CULLEN STRUCK a much different tone on Thursday than he had in the immediate aftermath of Leinster’s Champions Cup final defeat by Bordeaux last Saturday.
He was far more visibly downbeat as he spoke about the “grieving cycle” and the “horrific feeling” that Leinster are dealing with after a fifth consecutive loss in the biggest club game of them all.
Cullen did mention that Bilbao was an “amazing place to be” last weekend, but the message wasn’t that Leinster were just happy to make another final.
Having irked many with his comments on Saturday about the “great occasion,” Cullen was seemingly intent on letting supporters know that being dominated in the final hurt him and the squad as much as those fans.
He said Leinster “will do a real deep dive” on everything in their set-up in the wake of this latest Champions Cup final loss, which was the most emphatic of them all.
Cullen was also keen to underline that he believes he is the right man to lead Leinster into next season and another attempt to end their wait for a Champions Cup crown.
“Yes, absolutely,” said Cullen.
“Yeah, I 100% believe that. Just to put it on the record, absolutely.”
Cullen spoke about the challenge of continuing to fight for glory in the Champions Cup before reiterating that he is the right man to guide this team.
“For me to walk away from this, that’s not going to make this better,” said Cullen. “It’s not going to make it better.
“As in, I will be fully committed as we finish this season into next season, and we’ll go steaming into it again, like we try to every single year. I know it feels like after you lose, like the world has ended.
“That’s the way we feel, by the way. So we’re feeling it hard, but we have an opportunity now to turn the page, but our best chance of having success in the Champions Cup, it’s not actually starting next season.
“It’s starting in the next few weeks, as in the next few days, the days which lead into the Lions [on Saturday in the URC].
“Can we get through the quarter-final game, which leads us into a semi-final, and can we get to a final because that gives us a better seeding into next year’s competition. So straight away, you’ll have somewhat of an advantage.”
Cullen is convinced he's the right man for Leinster. Roberto Bregani / INPHO
Roberto Bregani / INPHO / INPHO
Cullen is right in underlining all of this, of course, and it’s not surprising that a big part of the lens through which the URC is viewed is the Champions Cup.
Leinster are simply obsessed with the Champions Cup.
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Yet while Cullen said that desperation to win the competition is perhaps among the many things they should look at, he underlined that they want to be the best club side there is.
“Maybe we need to reframe or whatever way that looks, but definitely we’ll have the conversation.
“We’re desperate to be the top team in club rugby. From our own context, that’s what we want to be, and that’s exactly what we want, but it does feel like it’s the boom or the bust, isn’t it?”
Winning the URC is goal number one in front of Leinster right now, but what of the challenge of trying to scale their Everest all over again next season?
Leinster came extremely close to the summit in 2022, 2023, and 2024, but they never left Base Camp in this year’s final.
Cullen pointed out that 2012 was the last time a URC/Pro 12 side other than Leinster reached the Champions Cup final.
That was when Ulster, whose team included five NIQ [non-Irish qualified] players, got to the final and were hammered by Leinster.
So you can see why Cullen believes Leinster need to be most concerned with how they try to keep pace with the improvements of Top 14 clubs, who have won the last six Champions Cups.
“The French teams, as a competition, they’re jostling,” said Cullen. “So are they playing at a slightly better thing? So if they are, how do we replicate that? Do we do that from a training point of view? Or what does that look like?
“You only get to play the very, very best at the end, because obviously everyone has to fight their way through.
“There’s the steps along the way in trying to push on. We’re trying to manage our squad. What does it all look like? We know we have different rules in terms of, we can’t go out and sign a tonne of non-Irish-qualified players.
“So if we do have players, where are they going to add? That has to be in connection with the IRFU. All these different bits, but we’re already on track for next season. There’s so much planning going into this already.”
Rieko Ioane is leaving at the end of the season. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Hence, why Cullen believes it would make no sense for him to walk away now.
He cited Bordeaux, Toulouse, Montpellier – and the “interesting gang they have there” – Pau, Stade Français and Clermont as well-funded French clubs who are “bloody good teams.”
Cullen said he and his coaching team will review how their squad is training, having struggled to deal with the speed of Bordeaux in the final.
“Trust me, there’s the physical components of this, the way we train, making sure we’re, you know, the speed of the way the game happened at the weekend,” said Cullen.
“So how can we replicate that from a training point of view, because we’re still producing the same players. It’s our pathway, making sure our pathway is strong, but we still can always tweak things, little bits here and there.
“But everyone needs to buy into that. So if we go, ‘Right, we’re going to train shorter,’ but we’re going to be like, ‘We’re going to be training quick, like fast, superfast,’ the group needs to be bought into that mentality if that’s the way we train, so making sure that we’re all OK.
“What do we think the best way for us to move forward as a group? Because at the end of the day, it’s not just us looking to improve. Every team is.”
Two of Leinster’s current NIQs, Rieko Ioane and Rabah Slimani, are leaving at the end of this season, meaning that RG Snyman will be their only NIQ player for 2026/27 as things stand.
However, Cullen hinted that this could change.
“Ongoing conversations is the way to put it,” he said. “Ongoing conversations, yeah.
“We always love to add, but listen, everyone needs to understand that there’s another mandate here, isn’t there? As in, me as a Leinster coach who’s employed with the IRFU.
“So make sure everyone understands that there are other factors at play there. It needs to fit with what the union needs to happen, so that’s always a challenge.
“We’ll try to keep adding as best we possibly can, but it’s not like there’s a quick fix out there.”
Leinster have spent big on Ioane and Jordie Barrett on short-term deals in the last two seasons, but they have also invested in the coaching skills of Jacques Nienaber, who won two World Cups with South Africa.
He is a defence specialist, yet Leinster’s traditions are as an attacking force who play exciting ball-in-hand rugby. At times, it has seemed that Leinster’s style has been an awkward attempt to blend these things.
Cullen confirmed that Leinster’s tactical approach will be among the many factors reviewed at the end of this season, although he also defended their style.
“In terms of our defence, I don’t like that word. I just want us, when we don’t have the ball, to be super aggressive, as in attacking the opposition when they have the ball.
“So that’s an important mindset shift for people that support the team to have because we’ve lost other games in different ways, in terms of finals, so we wanted to turn the switch in our heads.
“We want to be attacking both sides of the ball. When we attack, we still want to play a brand of rugby that… listen, Leinster fans love seeing us with the ball when we have possession. I just see it as attacking, whether we have the ball or not.
“So I wanted to bring a defensive system here that sees us attacking the opposition when they have the ball. That’s the way I would see it.
“I wouldn’t see it as a defensive team. I just see it as a very aggressive attacking team, both sides of the ball.”
Cullen hopes that formula will see Leinster retain their URC title, also leaving them in the best position possible for a new tilt at the Champions Cup next season. He believes he is the man to lead that charge.
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'For me to walk away, that's not going to make this better' - Leo Cullen
LEO CULLEN STRUCK a much different tone on Thursday than he had in the immediate aftermath of Leinster’s Champions Cup final defeat by Bordeaux last Saturday.
He was far more visibly downbeat as he spoke about the “grieving cycle” and the “horrific feeling” that Leinster are dealing with after a fifth consecutive loss in the biggest club game of them all.
Cullen did mention that Bilbao was an “amazing place to be” last weekend, but the message wasn’t that Leinster were just happy to make another final.
Having irked many with his comments on Saturday about the “great occasion,” Cullen was seemingly intent on letting supporters know that being dominated in the final hurt him and the squad as much as those fans.
He said Leinster “will do a real deep dive” on everything in their set-up in the wake of this latest Champions Cup final loss, which was the most emphatic of them all.
Cullen was also keen to underline that he believes he is the right man to lead Leinster into next season and another attempt to end their wait for a Champions Cup crown.
“Yes, absolutely,” said Cullen.
“Yeah, I 100% believe that. Just to put it on the record, absolutely.”
Cullen spoke about the challenge of continuing to fight for glory in the Champions Cup before reiterating that he is the right man to guide this team.
“For me to walk away from this, that’s not going to make this better,” said Cullen. “It’s not going to make it better.
“As in, I will be fully committed as we finish this season into next season, and we’ll go steaming into it again, like we try to every single year. I know it feels like after you lose, like the world has ended.
“That’s the way we feel, by the way. So we’re feeling it hard, but we have an opportunity now to turn the page, but our best chance of having success in the Champions Cup, it’s not actually starting next season.
“It’s starting in the next few weeks, as in the next few days, the days which lead into the Lions [on Saturday in the URC].
“Can we get through the quarter-final game, which leads us into a semi-final, and can we get to a final because that gives us a better seeding into next year’s competition. So straight away, you’ll have somewhat of an advantage.”
Cullen is right in underlining all of this, of course, and it’s not surprising that a big part of the lens through which the URC is viewed is the Champions Cup.
Leinster are simply obsessed with the Champions Cup.
Yet while Cullen said that desperation to win the competition is perhaps among the many things they should look at, he underlined that they want to be the best club side there is.
“Maybe we need to reframe or whatever way that looks, but definitely we’ll have the conversation.
“We’re desperate to be the top team in club rugby. From our own context, that’s what we want to be, and that’s exactly what we want, but it does feel like it’s the boom or the bust, isn’t it?”
Winning the URC is goal number one in front of Leinster right now, but what of the challenge of trying to scale their Everest all over again next season?
Leinster came extremely close to the summit in 2022, 2023, and 2024, but they never left Base Camp in this year’s final.
Cullen pointed out that 2012 was the last time a URC/Pro 12 side other than Leinster reached the Champions Cup final.
That was when Ulster, whose team included five NIQ [non-Irish qualified] players, got to the final and were hammered by Leinster.
So you can see why Cullen believes Leinster need to be most concerned with how they try to keep pace with the improvements of Top 14 clubs, who have won the last six Champions Cups.
“The French teams, as a competition, they’re jostling,” said Cullen. “So are they playing at a slightly better thing? So if they are, how do we replicate that? Do we do that from a training point of view? Or what does that look like?
“You only get to play the very, very best at the end, because obviously everyone has to fight their way through.
“There’s the steps along the way in trying to push on. We’re trying to manage our squad. What does it all look like? We know we have different rules in terms of, we can’t go out and sign a tonne of non-Irish-qualified players.
“So if we do have players, where are they going to add? That has to be in connection with the IRFU. All these different bits, but we’re already on track for next season. There’s so much planning going into this already.”
Hence, why Cullen believes it would make no sense for him to walk away now.
He cited Bordeaux, Toulouse, Montpellier – and the “interesting gang they have there” – Pau, Stade Français and Clermont as well-funded French clubs who are “bloody good teams.”
Cullen said he and his coaching team will review how their squad is training, having struggled to deal with the speed of Bordeaux in the final.
“Trust me, there’s the physical components of this, the way we train, making sure we’re, you know, the speed of the way the game happened at the weekend,” said Cullen.
“So how can we replicate that from a training point of view, because we’re still producing the same players. It’s our pathway, making sure our pathway is strong, but we still can always tweak things, little bits here and there.
“But everyone needs to buy into that. So if we go, ‘Right, we’re going to train shorter,’ but we’re going to be like, ‘We’re going to be training quick, like fast, superfast,’ the group needs to be bought into that mentality if that’s the way we train, so making sure that we’re all OK.
“What do we think the best way for us to move forward as a group? Because at the end of the day, it’s not just us looking to improve. Every team is.”
Two of Leinster’s current NIQs, Rieko Ioane and Rabah Slimani, are leaving at the end of this season, meaning that RG Snyman will be their only NIQ player for 2026/27 as things stand.
However, Cullen hinted that this could change.
“Ongoing conversations is the way to put it,” he said. “Ongoing conversations, yeah.
“We always love to add, but listen, everyone needs to understand that there’s another mandate here, isn’t there? As in, me as a Leinster coach who’s employed with the IRFU.
“So make sure everyone understands that there are other factors at play there. It needs to fit with what the union needs to happen, so that’s always a challenge.
“We’ll try to keep adding as best we possibly can, but it’s not like there’s a quick fix out there.”
Leinster have spent big on Ioane and Jordie Barrett on short-term deals in the last two seasons, but they have also invested in the coaching skills of Jacques Nienaber, who won two World Cups with South Africa.
He is a defence specialist, yet Leinster’s traditions are as an attacking force who play exciting ball-in-hand rugby. At times, it has seemed that Leinster’s style has been an awkward attempt to blend these things.
Cullen confirmed that Leinster’s tactical approach will be among the many factors reviewed at the end of this season, although he also defended their style.
“In terms of our defence, I don’t like that word. I just want us, when we don’t have the ball, to be super aggressive, as in attacking the opposition when they have the ball.
“So that’s an important mindset shift for people that support the team to have because we’ve lost other games in different ways, in terms of finals, so we wanted to turn the switch in our heads.
“We want to be attacking both sides of the ball. When we attack, we still want to play a brand of rugby that… listen, Leinster fans love seeing us with the ball when we have possession. I just see it as attacking, whether we have the ball or not.
“So I wanted to bring a defensive system here that sees us attacking the opposition when they have the ball. That’s the way I would see it.
“I wouldn’t see it as a defensive team. I just see it as a very aggressive attacking team, both sides of the ball.”
Cullen hopes that formula will see Leinster retain their URC title, also leaving them in the best position possible for a new tilt at the Champions Cup next season. He believes he is the man to lead that charge.
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Head Coach Leinster Leo Cullen The Boss