WHILE HE WAS pleased to come away with a bonus-point triumph over Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen already had one eye on the challenge that awaits in another competition during his post-match press conference at the Aviva Stadium last night.

Having suffered consecutive losses to Cardiff and Glasgow Warriors, Leinster were aiming for a return to winning ways in the URC when Scarlets paid a visit to the Ballsbridge venue for a Friday evening encounter. The Welsh region made life difficult for them at different stages in the contest, but a six-try haul in a 36-19 win helped to ensure the eastern province moves up to third in the league for the time being.

Cullen welcomed back nine players from Ireland’s Six Nations squad and he will be hoping this cohort are up to speed for a European Champions Cup Round of 16 clash with Edinburgh at the Aviva tomorrow week (5 April). A quarter-final will follow a week later if Leinster overcome the Scots as Europe’s top-tier quickly becomes the main focus for Cullen and his squad.

“To come away with a bonus point win, that’s the most important thing for us. Win the game. Try and score four tries, which we managed to do pretty early in the second half,” Cullen remarked after Friday’s game.

“There’s still tons of things we can get better at. Some of the discipline in the first half an hour, Scarlets have a big advantage and are playing a lot of that first half at our end of the field. We need to be better there. That would be the first thing that springs to mind. We’re back together as a group now, which is positive.

“It’s just about getting excited for next week, which is the Champions Cup. We’re the last Irish team left in the knockout stages of the Champions Cup. We know how hard this tournament is and it’s a tournament that we have a very strong love for. That love is as strong as ever.”

Despite the likes of Tadhg Furlong, Andrew Porter, Garry Ringrose and Jimmy O’Brien being withdrawn before the game had reached the 50-minute mark, Cullen was optimistic there weren’t any significant injury concerns arising from yesterday beyond the normal knocks and niggles that are part and parcel of competitive fixtures at this level.

Leinster boss Leo Cullen. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO

The Wicklow native could certainly do without any fresh worries, given the news that South African lock RG Snyman could potentially be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury he sustained against Glasgow Warriors last weekend.

There was also the welcome sight for Leinster fans of Ryan Baird taking part in the warm-up, while James Ryan is also edging towards a return to full fitness following a recent issue with his calf.

Tommy O’Brien is another player who has spent his fair share of time on the treatment table in the past, but he carried his encouraging form from the Six Nations into last night’s game with his brace of tries at the start of the second half playing a key role in him picking up the player of the match award.

Joining him in bagging two tries over the course of the action was his fellow winger Joshua Kenny, who continues to make a strong impression in the blue jersey. Still a member of their Academy after previously representing the Ireland 7s, Kenny has amassed an excellent tally of 11 tries from as many starts with Leinster in the current term.

“He’s night and day from when he came in the summer, isn’t he? That’s an absolute credit to him, just his desire to learn. He’s obviously a very physically gifted athlete, but his core skills have improved so much. How much he’s dedicated to learning the way we play, buying into the system,” O’Brien remarked of Kenny.

“He’s obviously getting the reward, he’s had some amazing days. I’d say he wouldn’t have believed you if you told him he’d have the season he’s had. Some massive European moments, scoring against La Rochelle. As I said, he just keeps scoring, which is fantastic. Competition is amazing and it keeps driving all of us to get better.”