Leinster rewarded for Cullen’s overhaul
Leinster’s progression to their first Champions Cup final since 2012 has not come by chance. The abundant playing resources of the Irish province, who provided the backbone of Ireland’s Grand Slam side, have been well-documented this season.
However, bridging the six-year gap since they defeated Ulster at Twickenham to claim their third title required a complete overhaul of their entire approach, according to their director of rugby, Leo Cullen.
When the old Heineken Cup tournament was disbanded at the behest of the English and French clubs to bring a greater degree of meritocracy in 2014, there were fears that the Irish provinces no longer possessed the finances to build squads to compete with the emerging galaticos of Toulon, Saracens, Racing 92 and the traditional French powerhouses of Toulouse and Clermont Auvergne.
Cullen found himself under pressure in a difficult first season in charge in 2015, but after a period of soul-searching, the former Leinster, Leicester and Ireland captain, who led Leinster to all their titles, has now transformed his squad into one of the finest in the 22-year history of the European competition.
“The landscape is completely different in Europe [now] to when Leinster were winning trophies,” he said. “Saracens, Toulon, Racing have all emerged. We had to rethink a lot of things we were doing.
“We had to go back to the drawing board and work incredibly hard. Ultimately, it will be good for the club because it focused minds on how we could get better. So it’s nice to be back at this stage again. Knowing what that feels like makes you want to do it again and again.
“It is about managing the demands of the season and understanding you are going to be missing players at certain times, so how you invest in the resources is a big thing – the work we do and understanding how to manage a competitive group so we can manage the whole squad and everyone understands the role they play in getting the team to these big days. It is frustrating for some guys because a lot of them have played a part in getting the team to this point in both competitions, and sometimes, they don’t get to play in some of these knockout games, so I am managing the group well because everyone plays such a big role.”
The Scarlets had travelled to Dublin more in expectation than hope, having beaten Leinster in the Pro12 semi-finals at the RDS last season on the way to winning the title. On Saturday, Wayne Pivac’s side were completely outclassed. A semi-final that promised to deliver a spellbinding, high-octane contest became a Leinster procession; an exhibition of the potent mix of their forward power and directness of a rejuvenated Robbie Henshaw after a 10-week lay-off and the guile of Johnny Sexton, who marshalled his backline superbly.
Sexton scored 18 points, including a second-half try, before he was withdrawn for a rest with 20 minutes still remaining, such was Leinster’s dominance after James Ryan, Cian Healy and Fergus Mcfadden had scored tries to take the game beyond the Scarlets by half-time.
The Scarlets’ only return was Leigh Halfpenny’s three penalties and a late try by Tadhg Beirne. Scott Fardy, Leinster’s Australian backrow forward, claimed the man-ofthe-match award, capping his abrasive display with a second-half try, but Sexton was quick to hail the influence of Henshaw, who looks to used his spell on the sidelines – after picking up the shoulder injury he sustained while playing for Ireland in their defeat of Italy – to take his game to a new level.
“He’s got everything,” Sexton said of his inside centre. “What an incredible athlete to spend the time out that he has and to come back and look like he’d never been away, so by far the most impressive performance from him.”