Leo Cullen hits out at the media with ‘boot’ accusation after Leinster reach latest Champions Cup final
Leo Cullen with Caelan Doris after Leinster's win over Toulon and, inset, Tommy O'Brien celebrates the final whistle (INPHO/Ben Brady)
Leo Cullen has come out swinging after Leinster’s progress to the Investec Champions Cup final, bemoaning media critics he believes are quick to put the boot into his team.
The Irish province qualified for their latest European final appearance on Saturday, but there was a level of unease about their 29-25 semi-final win over Toulon. Leinster had taken a 29-11 lead nearing the finish and were set to see out the victory with ease.
However, the French side’s bench brought an energy that the Dublin hosts struggled to cope with, and they could have spectacularly fallen into arrears if a 78th-minute pass from Gael Drean to Setariki Tuicuvu had gone to hand instead of being knocked on.
This dramatic conclusion to a Champions Cup match that Leinster should have comfortably won altered the narrative about Cullen’s team advancing to the May 23 final in Bilbao. They have been under fire all season for not being the dominant, all-court Leinster that fans have grown used to, but the head coach was in no mood for any negatives post-game.
“I would be very kind to Toulon…”
“I would be very kind to Toulon because they showed great spirit to the very end,” he said. “It’s what you want and it’s why we love this tournament. We want to put ourselves in this situation every year.
“But it’s not easy because you’re up against these juggernaut teams. This is the first time Leinster have ever beaten Toulon. We’ll keep battling. We know it will be tough in a final but we’re delighted to get to it.
“I have to applaud the players for the desire throughout the season to want to put themselves back in this situation because, listen, you guys love throwing the boot into us, don’t you? You guys love throwing the boot into us when things don’t go well. Whatever sells, because you read plenty of it.
“You would love if everyone got behind the team now when you’re up against juggernauts of the game because it is not easy doing it, is it?
“We’re the only Irish province left in the competition, but the group will still continue to do what we do. It’s not always pretty, but we’re up against some serious teams. It’s insanely hard to win this competition.”
Reflecting on how the match unfolded in the final 13 minutes after a converted Caelan Doris try has put Leinster 18 points clear, Cullen added: “For everyone’s stress levels, it would be nice to keep that margin of scoreline.
“But Toulon have quality on the bench because they recruit from the four corners of the globe. A huge amount of credit to them. They really tested us. They got in for tries and we’re sort of hanging in at the end. But that’s where you have to show some guts and courage and chase back at the end, that’s just commitment.
“Naturally, you try and protect things, don’t you, where the other team is throwing everything at you? We were sitting in this room this time last year. We were in that situation and we were throwing everything at Northampton; [Henry] Pollock gets a poach and it should have been a penalty, but nobody wants to report about it after.
“We should have had a penalty try, and nobody wants to report on it. You just want to kick the boot into us, don’t you? The reality is, the way I would see a semi-final is there are two teams going at it and there is a winner and loser and it’s not to kick the team that loses.”
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