Leo Cullen lashes out at Irish media following semi-final win for Leinster
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Not impressed.
Leinster Rugby are back in a European final, but head coach Leo Cullen wasn’t in the mood to celebrate quietly after their hard-fought win over RC Toulon.
In a bruising Investec Champions Cup semi-final, Leinster edged past a defiant Toulon side who refused to go away until the final whistle. The French outfit threw everything at Cullen’s men late on, but Leinster’s defensive resolve held firm to secure their place in the decider.
Cullen was quick to acknowledge the challenge Toulon posed.
“I thought Toulon were amazing to go at it until the very end. And they’re decided on the tightest of margins, semi-finals,” Cullen said.
“The reality is, the way I would see a semi-final is there are two teams going at it, and there is a winner and a loser, and it’s not to kick the team that loses.”
But the Leinster boss’ focus quickly shifted to his frustration with how his side have been portrayed, particularly in the aftermath of last season’s disappointment.
“We were sitting in this room this time last year, we were in that situation we were throwing everything at Northampton, listen [Henry] Pollock gets a poach and it should have been a penalty, but nobody wants to report about it after, we should have had a penalty try and nobody wants to report on it,” Cullen said,
“You [the media] just want to kick the boot into us, don’t you?”
Cullen doubled down, suggesting negative coverage has become the default narrative around his squad.
“You guys love throwing the boot into us when things don’t go well. Whatever sells, because you read plenty of it.
“You’d love it if everyone got behind the team now when you’re up against juggernauts of the game, because it is not easy doing it, is it?
“We’re the only Irish province left in the competition, but the group will still continue to do what we do. It’s not always pretty, but we’re up against some serious teams. It’s insanely hard to win this competition.”
“I have to applaud the players for the desire throughout the season to want to put themselves back in this situation because, listen, you guys love throwing the boot into us, don’t you?”
