Cullen hails support that ‘fuelled’ his side in the heat of battle
WHEN Leinster lost a famous European Cup semi-final in 2006, the bus-ride to the old Lansdowne Road was a chilling one for their players. The plush streets of Dublin 4 ran red. Munster supporters were everywhere, and they swamped the home team inside the ground as well as outside it.
From early yesterday morning, red jerseys blistered those same streets. The Scarlets fans would be in a minority, but for hours before kickoff they were a noisy, exuberant one.
Long before the end of the match, they were silenced. And after it, Leo Cullen could reflect on a trip to the game that filled his heart. He wasn’t in the Leinster side that succumbed to Munster a dozen years ago, but he was part of the recovery team that helped raise Leinster to the level of their old foes. Now, they look unbeatable. ‘It was amazing, the drive into the ground today,’ marvelled Cullen. ‘There was a lot of blue out on the streets.
‘When we were going through the pool stages, we talked about all the little margins over the course of those six games, and all the work that goes in to ensure that first you get a home semi-final and then everything in your power to get a semi-final in Ireland.
‘It was a fantastic occasion. The support we had, it goes so far in terms of fuelling the team.
‘Bilbao is slightly more difficult to get to but hopefully we’ll have support there as well.’
The choice of the Spanish city was likely made with an eye towards marketing more than rugby, but Leinster fans wouldn’t care if it was played on the dark side of the moon.
They were awesome, and Cullen, unsurprisingly, pinpointed his team’s third try, seconds before the break and scored by Fergus McFadden, as decisive.
‘Ferg’s try on half time was a huge moment in the game, but how we managed the second half was important. The guys controlled the game well, played in the right areas and then they were able to put the squeeze on Scarlets, frustrate them, because they couldn’t get access to our end of the field.’
Preparations for the coming fortnight will have to factor in Pro14 matches, but also medical issues. McFadden was the only injury worry yesterday, but on Friday Sean O’Brien had his latest surgery, which looks certain to have ended his season.
Luke McGrath and Rhys Ruddock should be back to fatten numbers as they prepare for the decider, though.
‘He’s a player that’s so physically committed and because of the way he plays, he’s going to pick up bangs,’ said Cullen of O’Brien.
‘He’s a very resilient individual, Sean. I know he’ll work hard to try and get back.
‘You need as many players as you can possibly have available. The guys are working very hard for each other, and you could see the physical commitment they were putting in today.’
Cullen did what no man ever managed in lifting the trophy three times as a captain. Now, he is chasing his fourth, and his first as a coach. ‘Physically, it’s a bit easier coaching,’ he smiled. ‘Mentally, it’s a lot easier playing. ‘They are worlds apart, really. They are a great bunch to work with and they were a great bunch to play with. But for us now, we concentrate on the process of how we go about preparing to give ourselves the best chance.’ Wayne Pivac took time out from the vanquished Scarlets dressing room to state emphatically that Leinster are a better team than the one his side ran over in a league semi-final 12 months ago. ‘They’ve top players coming in and doing a great job, and the coaching set-up’s been together a year longer as well,’ he said. ‘They have a deep squad and a very talented one. They are a lot improved on last year.’ The contribution of Robbie Henshaw took his attention, in particular. ‘It didn’t look like he’d been out of the team the period of time he had. He played very well, and his very strong carrying gave them a lot of go-forward ball.’
‘THERE WAS A LOT OF BLUE OUT ON THE STREETS. IT WAS AMAZING’