Cullen: ‘Sexton rust not to blame’

Editor

Leinster boss Leo Cullen rejected the idea that Johnny Sexton's below-par performance against the Scarlets was down to rust.

Sexton had been sidelined since Leinster's Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Clermont, rested by the Leinster boss in preparation for the PRO12 knockout stages.

And the Ireland international was not at his best as the Scarlets sprung a surprise at the RDS, becoming the first away team to win a PRO12 semi-final.

“Johnny in the past has come back into big games,” Cullen told The42.ie. 

“If you think, he had that absence and he comes back into a Test match against France at the Aviva, so he’s had those big gaps.

“Even early in the season, he came back in here against the Ospreys after a big absence. So, no, I don’t think so. He played only three or four weeks ago.”

Pinpointing where it all went wrong for his side, Cullen admitted that handling errors played a major part in Friday's loss.

The former Ireland lock also paid tribute to Scarlets, who capitalised on Leinster's shaky performance with a superb one of their own away from home.

“The guys played with real intent at the start but we just couldn’t keep hold of the ball,” Cullen added.

“We kept coughing up the ball in terms of the ball carrier just losing the ball, five or six times. Scarlets didn’t have a huge amount of possession but they were clinical with their chances.

“Once a team has a lead in a semi-final they’re going to go hard at the ball and that’s what they did. A lot of credit to them, they were brave in everything they did and we weren’t good enough today and it’s bitterly disappointing for us."