Cullen feared late mugging by Munster in Pro14 final
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen admitted fearing his side may be "mugged" by Munster in the closing stages of the Guinness Pro14 final.
The defending champions dominated the match at the RDS Arena but were made to settle for a modest 16-6 scoreline as they chalked up their fourth consecutive title and eighth overall.
Munster had to soak up sustained periods of pressure during the first half but went in level at 6-6 at the break after Leinster failed to convert their chances.
Jack Conan's 46thminute try put daylight between the sides, with Ross Byrne kicking the rest of Leinster's points, but Cullen conceded his team's failure to pull clear in the opening period had made him nervous.
"I'm delighted with the win," he said. "It was a strange sort of game.
"We started the game with really good intent. We made a few different line breaks at stages in the first half and then suddenly you walk in at half-time at 6-6 and you're like, I don't like the look of this.
"You had a sort of sense that you may get mugged here at the end.
"To be fair to the players they were very composed at half-time and came out super intense at the start of the second half. The only difference is that we actually got over for the try and were a little bit more patient in the build-up to that.”
Munster were chasing their first title in a decade but spent much of the match in their own half and could only muster a pair of penalties from Joey Carbery.