Bernard Jackman responds to Leo Cullen’s outburst as Leinster boss ‘trying to create a narrative’
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen and respected pundit Bernard Jackman.
Former Leinster hooker and respected pundit Bernard Jackman does not believe the media have been harsh on the province after Leo Cullen’s outburst on Saturday.
The Irish giants defeat Toulon 29-25 at the Aviva Stadium to reach yet another Investec Champions Cup, but much of the talk since has centred on their head coach’s comments.
Cullen accused the media of wanting to “kick the boot into us”, referencing last year’s semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints, but Jackman disagreed.
Cullen ‘trying to create a narrative’
“What does he want the media to do when they lose to Northampton? Blame the referee? Because he’s talking about a penalty try not given, [Henry] Pollock [penalty] not given,” the ex-Ireland front-rower told RTE Radio 1.
“We all know it’s tight margins. I think he’s under a lot of pressure and he’s fighting. He’s trying to create a narrative and that’s absolutely his [right] .
“They did this after they lost to Northampton last year, they created an ‘us against the world mentality’ and they beat the Bulls [in the URC final].
“I think the media have actually been fairly OK to Leinster, considering the fact that they haven’t won as many trophies.”
Leinster have only won the Champions Cup once since 2018, while they have not fared much better in the league since the South African franchises got involved.
The Dublin-based side did finally end their title drought by winning the United Rugby Championship last year but the perception is that they have underachieved under Cullen.
“The reality is… there’s question marks from the media, [and] I would say a lot of fans have question marks around this group but let’s just stick to the media because he questioned us,” Jackman said.
“There’s two things you can base it on.
“Results, which are black and white. Leinster have lost six games in the URC this year. They haven’t won a game outside of Ireland.
“They didn’t finish in the top two seeds in Europe so they got a home semi-final because Toulon beat Glasgow.
“That’s the reality. They’re in a final, that is absolutely credit to them and they may win the URC as well. But the results haven’t been as good this season.”
Leinster constantly falling at the final hurdle
Since Leinster’s last win, this is the fifth time they have reached the final, losing to Saracens, La Rochelle (twice) and Toulouse in their previous four.
Given the wealth of talent at their disposal, with Cullen able to field a squad stacked with top-end internationals, the lack of silverware in recent years has been seen as a huge failure.
They could have created a dynasty, but as it stands, they have not picked up the trophies expected of them, and that has led to criticism.
“It’s very hard to play the underdog card or the ‘poor me’,” Jackman said.
“You can’t compare Leinster to Munster, Ulster or Connacht because that’s not the level of investment or talent that’s there. If you have a team full of Irish internationals plus Rieko Ioane, et cetera, but Leo’s job is to win silverware.
“If he feels giving the media a bit of a backlash is going to take the focus off his players, fair play. That’s his job, and that’s why he’s paid big money, and that’s why he’s under pressure.
“Unfortunately, I think it’s going to heighten the talk about Leinster this week because everybody’s going to be actually saying, ‘well, are we being fair here? Are Leinster playing brilliant rugby?’
“I think the media are right to be a little bit sceptical about Leinster until they start winning.”
