Tag Archives: leo cullen

There was no shortage of questions posed by around 20 different journalists this afternoon as Leinster Rugby hosted an online press conference with the Irish sporting media.  As many of us have come to realise in these unprecedented times, few answers exist to the uncertainty which surrounds us, not only in sport but in all aspects of our lives. So …

There were a few notable omissions when Leinster announced their matchday 23 for Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup clash with Benetton at the RDS (KO 3.15 pm).  Ireland internationals Robbie Henshaw, Tadhg Furlong and Rob Kearney have all been left out for the visit of Kieran Crowley’s side. Henshaw’s absence is not that surprising considering the powerful centre suffered from some …

Sean McMahon reporting from the RDS.  Leinster head coach Leo Cullen was pleased with Harry Byrne’s man-of-the-match performance as the youngster helped his side to a 50-15 victory on what was his first start in the Guinness PRO14.  Byrne, younger brother of Ireland international, Ross, produced a controlled performance which included a first-half try and a sublime cross-field kick which …

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen will have some interesting decisions to make over the coming weeks.  His side have started the new season at a blistering pace – securing three consecutive bonus-point victories leaving them joint top of Conference A on 15 points with the Cheetahs. Confidence is high at their base in UCD and encouragingly, there have been a …

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has urged Devin Toner “to get back on the horse” following his disappointing omission from Ireland’s World Cup squad earlier this month.  Toner was expected to be named as part of Joe Schmidt’s 31-man panel but there was widespread surprise when the Leinster stalwart was left at home with Munster’s Jean Kleyn named instead. Ross …

Dan Leavy still has a long road ahead of him in his recovery from a horrific knee injury he suffered last season.  The Leinster and Ireland star has been out of action since April when he damaged his ACL and MCL in Leinster’s win over Ulster in the quarter-final of the Champions Cup at the Aviva Stadium. Leavy was introduced …

Leo Cullen has apologised for a “throwaway remark” he made during the post-match press conference after Leinster’s 24-9 victory over Munster at the RDS last weekend.  During that press conference, the Leinster head coach stated: “Glasgow rugby players all support Rangers I’ve been told so everybody in Glasgow should be supporting us, the Celtic fans for sure.” Before continuing: “Hopefully, …

Johnny Sexton has returned to the Leinster starting XV for their PRO14 final clash with Glasgow Warriors in Celtic Park on Saturday evening. The team captain was left on the bench for the semi-final against Munster last weekend with Ross Byrne preferred at fly-half. He returns to partner Luke McGrath for the final while Byrne is named among the substitutes. …

Sean McMahon reporting from the RDS Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has praised the performance of man-of-the-match Josh van der Flier after his side’s 24-9 victory over Munster at the RDS on Saturday afternoon.  Van der Flier played 77 minutes of this afternoon’s semi-final victory and these were the first minutes which the flanker has played since he suffered a …

Sean McMahon reporting from Newcastle.  “We’re obviously very gutted,” Leinster head coach Leo Cullen began when asked to reflect on his side’s 20-10 loss to Saracens in the Heineken Champions Cup final.  The 41-year-old had just witnessed his side fall to a relentless and powerful Saracens outfit and the sense of disappointment was all too obvious as he gave his …

Sean McMahon reporting from St James Park, Newcastle.  Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has named the same starting XV from their win over Toulouse for tomorrow’s Heineken Champions Cup final with Saracens. The level of consistency in selection is a bonus for Leinster but Cullen has made changes to his replacements as Jack McGrath and Rhys Ruddock are in reserve …

Leo Cullen was full of praise for his Leinster charges after they qualified for their second successive Champions Cup final following a 30-12 win over Toulouse at the Aviva Stadium. There was questions being asked of Leinster heading into the game as many thought they hadn’t yet reached the heights of last season when they steamrolled their way to a …

Toulouse will no doubt have travelled to Dublin full of confidence that they can take out Leinster in Sunday’s Champions Cup semi-final at the Aviva Stadium.  The French powerhouse have had an incredible season to date announcing themselves as a driving force of European rugby once again. They are eight points clear in the Top 14 and have faltered just …

Leo Cullen feels his Leinster charges are well prepared for the challenge of Toulouse tomorrow at the Aviva Stadium. Leinster go into the game with a strong starting XV as experienced internationals, Johnny Sexton and Rob Kearney return to the starting lineup after missing their quarter-final win over Ulster three weeks ago. Following today’s captain’s run, Cullen admitted the build-up …

It may have somewhat gone under the radar but the extension of Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster’s contracts at Leinster is an incredible boost to the club going forward.  The duo have masterminded the transformation of Leinster into one of the top sides in Europe and their double achievement last year which saw them lift the Guinness PRO14 and Heineken …

Leinster look set to be without the services of Robbie Henshaw for this weekend’s visit of Ulster to the Aviva Stadium in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final.  The 25-year-old has been out of action since he last played in the opening round loss to England in the Six Nations. The dead leg injury has proven to be more problematic than …

Leinster have issued an injury update ahead of their Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final clash with Ulster at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.  The good news is that Joe Tomane, Luke McGrath, Dan Leavy and Nick McCarthy all came through the clash with Edinburgh, which was their first game back from injury, with no issues. Ross Byrne, who was originally named …

Leinster Rugby have confirmed that head coach Leo Cullen has signed a contract extension with the club while Stuart Lancaster has been retained as “senior coach”.  Cullen, who won 221 caps for Leinster and was captain of three Heineken Cup-winning squads, was appointed Head Coach at the start of the 2015/16 season and will now lead the province for a …