Cullen: We need to learn from last season’s mistakes

Leinster 16 Munster 6

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen

Ruaidhri O'Connor Twitter

March 29 2021 02:30 AM

Last September, Leo Cullen watched his team celebrate a Guinness PRO14 title at an empty Aviva Stadium and then a week later saw them emasculated by Saracens at the same venue.

His mission this week is to stop history from repeating itself at the RDS as Toulon come to town on Friday.

As ever, they were far too strong for their Irish opponents when the chips were down but while the men from the Cote d’Azur may not be the force that claimed three titles in as many seasons between 2013 and 2015, they’re still packed with power and star quality.

Cullen was Matt O’Connor’s assistant when the two sides last met in Marseille in the semi-final six years ago, but much has changed in the intervening years.

The French side are likely to be without Ma’a Nonu after the All Black great was sent off in their 54-16 defeat to Lyon on Saturday night.

Still, they’ll have their French contingent back and a couple of other familiar faces.

Leinster will give an injury bulletin today, but Johnny Sexton looks unlikely to be fit after he was taken off with a head injury after a tackle on Joey Carbery and will undergo the return to play protocols.

Managing the week will be key for Cullen.

“Toulon are a star-studded team, it’s a massive challenge for us and that’s why we’re involved in the game,” he said.

“We didn’t manage the transition from winning the final against Ulster to playing a quarter-final of Europe particularly well, so hopefully we can learn from that as a group and be a little bit better this time.

“The challenge is still massive, we’ll see how we go with it.

“There’s been 11 internationals, Europe has been cut short but we’re in Europe slogging it out and so it’s an unbelievably exciting challenge.

“It won’t be easy, but that’s what will make it all the more special if we manage to get through to a quarter-final the week after and we’ll see who that’s against – either Exeter or Lyon who are battling it out.

“Toulon, as we know, have lots of big bodies in their ranks and it will be a huge challenge.”

On Saturday, they got a whole lot right and should have won by more.

After the break, the home side tightened up and Jack Conan powered over from close range.

Ross Byrne’s penalty gave them the breathing space they needed to close things out.

“We’d love the fans (to be here),” Cullen said.

“But we’ll try and do that as best we can. The players get a bit of a special moment, it’s like a private party for them, really.

"They’re celebrating as a group there, but at some point really quickly we’ll have to turn the page into next week.

“So, yeah, that’s a challenge. Supporters make the occasion in my mind. Think of what it would have been like, it’s a great advert for the game to see two teams going at it hell for leather and you’ve got to applaud the players for the attitude that’s being shown.

“It’s played in the right spirit, you can see by both sets of players, but if you have a crowd there it just adds another dimension. You have an atmosphere and that’s what we’re missing. Hopefully we get that back before too long, but it’s day by day.”

It might be a while off yet, but even without their fans, the kings of the PRO14 are intent on conquering Europe once again before the South Africans join the party for the Rainbow Cup.

“For the credibility of the competition we play in, for the profile of the competition it is only going to be positive,” he said of the addition of the Lions, the Bulls, the Stormers and the Sharks.

“South Africa is one of the biggest rugby markets. They’re world champions, so many players that played in the World Cup-winning team will be representing those four teams... it’s going to be a massive challenge and that’s what we all want. To test ourselves against the best that’s out there.”

Leinster: H Keenan; J Larmour, R O’Loughlin, R Henshaw, D Kearney; R Byrne (J Sexton 60) (Byrne 65), L McGrath (capt) (J Gibson-Park 76); C Healy (E Byrne 53), R Kelleher (J Tracy 70), A Porter (T Furlong 53); D Toner, S Fardy (R Baird 60); R Ruddock (R Molony 74), J van der Flier, J Conan.

Munster: M Haley; A Conway, C Farrell, D de Allende (R Scannell 74), K Earls; J Carbery (JJ Hanrahan 70), C Murray (C Casey 70); J Cronin (D Kilcoyne 52), N Scannell (K O’Byrne 53), J Ryan (S Archer 52); J Kleyn (B Holland 70), T Beirne; G Coombes, P O’Mahony (capt) (J O’Donoghue 49), CJ Stander.

Ref: M Adamson (Scotland)