'Like Ireland v Bulls' - depth key to Leinster's URC win
Leinster's strength in depth has long been the envy of many squads in the United Rugby Championship and it once again came to the fore in Saturday's final win against the Bulls.Despite missing three injured Lions in the form of Tadhg Furlong, Hugo Keenan and Jamison Gibson-Park, the Irish province still fielded an incredible nine players who will travel to Australia with Andy Farrell's squad. Garry Ringrose, Josh van der Flier, James Lowe, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan and Jack Conan all started while Ronan Kelleher came off the bench in the comfortable 32-7 victory against the Bulls in Dublin to end the province's four-year trophy drought.They also had another eight players that will be part of Paul O'Connell's Ireland squad for this summer's tests against Georgia and Portugal.Throw in All Black Jordie Barrett, Springbok RG Snyman and French international Rabah Slimani and that means that young scrum half Fintan Gunne was the only uncapped player in the match-day squad.
'They only had 22 internationals!'
Bulls head coach Jake White was typically dry in his post-match press conference when addressing the quality that his opposite number Cullen could call upon. "I said during the week that Leinster would have 23 internationals, but it wasn't quite so bad, they only had 22!" he joked."I have said repeatedly that it is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. "We have plenty of experienced players, but we finished the game with eight non-internationals and Leo is able to throw on the likes of RG Snyman for a run-around. It is like Ireland v the Bulls out there."Two of Leinster's four tries were scored by Irish stalwarts turned Lions, with captain Conan getting the first and back row partner van der Flier the third. Barrett's beautifully improvised effort was sandwiched between the two as Leinster blitzed the South Africans in the opening 22 minutes, before shutting them out at half-time and going on to pick up a comfortable win after Gunne's late try.
Fitness scares and good performances in mixed bag for Lions contingent
Those on 'Lions watch' would have been concerned with the late withdrawal of Gibson-Park but Cullen was upbeat about the scrum half's fitness."Jamison picked up a bit of a knock on his glute in last week's semi-final and he just couldn't shake it off. It's nothing too serious so he'll be ok for the Lions," he said.Second row Ryan appeared to be limping slightly clutching the bottom of his back when he was substituted two minutes after the restart.He did reappear at full-time to join his teammates in collecting their medals and Cullen was also upbeat about his health."James certainly looked alright celebrating in the dressing room!"There is less than a week until the Lions kick off their summer adventure with a warm-up game at the Aviva Stadium against Argentina.How much game time the Leinster players get against the Pumas remains to be seen but they will certainly bring with them an air of positivity when they join the camp. Cullen is looking forward to a summer spent watching his charges on the world stage."A big part of what we do here is player development, so we are very proud of all the boys heading away this summer. "They have all earned it and I'm looking forward to keeping a keen eye on them when they are away."While Cullen and the Leinster staff can put their feet up for a couple of months, the show goes on for a large chunk of his talented squad and they will be hoping they can bring their success in blue to red and green respectively.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
20 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Andy Farrell says Lions 'won't sugar-coat' defeat to Argentina
Andy Farrell demanded an improvement from his British and Irish Lions when they arrive in Australia after they slipped to a 28-24 defeat by Argentina in Dublin. The Lions lost their opening tour match for the first time since 1971 after their second-half fightback was overturned when Santiago Cordero finished the match-winning try in the 59th minute. Advertisement On Saturday they head Down Under before facing the Western Force a week later and Farrell is seeking an immediate response to the error-strewn display seen at a sold-out Aviva Stadium. Not the result we wanted, but a historic night in Dublin. Thank you to the incredible fans who came to see us tonight, and to all of you who tuned in to support us from around the world 🙏🦁 #Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 20, 2025 'We made it a tough game. Congratulations to Argentina, they thoroughly deserved to win the match. I'm sure that's a big moment in Argentinean rugby history,' Farrell said. 'We had plenty of opportunities and we should have done better to convert them, but the whole story of the game is that we compounded too many errors. 'I wouldn't give familiarity as an excuse. We need to be better than that. The Lions are good players coming together. Advertisement 'We won't sugar-coat this. We need to be honest because if we're not honest, how do we gain trust with each other? 'Losing hurts, especially in this jersey. We need to find the solutions pretty quickly and be honest with ourselves because some good has to come from this. 'Of course we asked a lot of the players and maybe we put too much pressure on the side because it looked like we were a little disconnected at times. 'We'll review what we said we were going to do as a team. We need to make sure we get something positive from this because it's all about how we move forward. Advertisement 'Some players will be happy and some players won't and will be dying to get another chance out there. We've got to learn a lot of lessons from that. 'We want to see a better all round performance. There wasn't just one thing, it was the compounding of quite a few bits. 'The amount of balls that we threw blindly either on to the floor or to the opposition was a standout. 'The scraps on the floor always seemed to go to Argentina, so there was a bit more fight and hunger from them that we can't accept.' Advertisement Maro Itoje's first game as captain ended in defeat (Brian Lawless/PA) Maro Itoje criticised the Lions' accuracy as his first outing as captain ended in the tourists' first defeat to Argentina in eight matches.. 'It was a spectacular occasion. The fans gave us a glimpse of what to expect in Australia,' Itoje said. 'We gave ourselves numerous opportunities but we weren't accurate enough at times and weren't consistent enough in piling pressure on to Argentina.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
BT reveals the HUGE problem with AFL bringing back State of Origin: 'a load of nonsense'
AFL great Brian Taylor has raised major concerns over the league's proposed revival of State of Origin, calling plans to stage the game in February 'a load of nonsense'. With talks gaining traction between the AFL and the Western Australian government to stage a marquee State of Origin match in 2026, debate has flared over the format, timing, and purpose of the event. The proposed clash would see Victoria face Western Australia at Optus Stadium during the pre-season, reviving a once fierce rivalry dormant for over two decades. WA deputy premier and sports minister Rita Saffioti confirmed early-stage discussions, saying, 'It's not a done deal. But I know the AFL was very keen, and we're very keen.' 'There's some good discussions happening at the moment,' she added. 'We think this would be an incredible drawcard for the state.' State of Origin has not been officially played since 1999, when Victoria defeated South Australia by 54 points at the MCG. While one-off matches have been held since - including the 2008 Hall of Fame tribute and the 2020 bushfire relief match - the true competitive spirit of Origin has faded. Taylor, who represented Victoria in a 1986 Origin match, did not hold back on Triple M. 'What are we trying to do here with State of Origin football, playing it in February?' he asked. 'Do you know how hot it is in Perth in Feb?' He argued the timing is illogical given players are not in top form early in the year. 'How many players are in form on the 6th of February? How are you picking the team? On the year before?' According to Taylor, true Origin footy is about selecting players based on current form, not reputation. 'It's about players playing well, like the All Australian - to achieve the status of getting selected in the side,' he said. 'I think this game is not going to work if it's in Feb.' Brian Taylor believes AFL players would engage more if financial incentives were included in the match structure He instead proposed using one of the three in-season byes to stage a proper Origin round. 'Let's put one of those byes aside for a State of Origin weekend when the players have reached top form.' Taylor also said financial incentives could boost player motivation. 'Let's give the players all of the gate, so a player could get $10,000 to $20,000 each per game,' he said. 'Then they'll absolutely want to play.' Former St Kilda star Leigh Montagna echoed doubts about the format. 'You're probably still thinking of State of Origin in the 80s and 90s when it was South Australia vs Victoria and they were playing for keeps,' Montagna said. 'Now it's more of an exhibition game.' He said while fans may enjoy seeing stars like Christian Petracca and Toby Greene in the same team, it wouldn't replicate the ferocity of past decades. Taylor agreed: 'Why do we need an exhibition game of our own game in our own country? People see 20 games a year.' 'It can't be before they've even completed their pre-season. What a load of nonsense.' Despite the pushback, Saffioti said many players are excited at the prospect of wearing their state colours again. The plan would revive the historic Victoria–WA rivalry, last contested in 1992 when the Vics won by 67 points. WA last played Origin football in 1998 against South Australia in Adelaide. The rivalry between the states dates back to 1908, when the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival featured teams from all six states plus New Zealand. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon acknowledged the interest, stating in February: 'I can't rule it in and I can't rule it out.' 'There seems to be a bit of a groundswell for it,' he said. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said he 'can't rule it in or out' but acknowledged player interest was growing Saffioti believes the February timing makes sense. 'Pre-season is a good time to do it, as opposed to in-season ... the clubs are already playing pre-season games,' she said. 'And we saw the Indigenous All Stars, we had some incredible players out there ... it makes a bit of sense to do it during February.' The AFL's State of Origin officially began in 1977 and flourished in the '80s and early '90s before declining due to injury concerns and club opposition. Whether it returns in a genuine form or becomes another one-off exhibition remains to be seen.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Why three-time Olympic gold medallist Jessica Fox has no doubt she can excel ahead of canoe world titles despite recent form slump
There's been some rough water for Jessica Fox since her Paris Olympics medal blitz, but the canoe great feels her title defence is on track 100 days out from the world championships in Penrith. Fox will defend her kayak crown on her home course, with the competition getting under way on September 29, but despite winning gold in the event in Paris, her results this year haven't been at her usual standard. The 31-year-old, who owns six Olympic medals, including three gold, has missed the K1 final at both of the opening World Cup events in Europe. In the opening race in La Seu in Spain, Fox finished 48th in a field of 50 after incurring a 50-second penalty for missing a gate. She also missed the K1 final at the second World Cup event in Pau in France, but at both she bounced back to win gold in the C1 races. 'It's funny, people are always almost shocked when you don't qualify for the final, or when you don't win, as when you've done it so many times it's just expected, but actually it's hard every time,' Fox said from Prague, ahead of another World Cup later this month. 'Even the best athletes make mistakes, so it was disappointing, I was upset, I had a good cry about it, and then I just got back on the horse the next day, got back in my boat and had another crack. 'I'm fine-tuning things and I'm still in a training and building phase at the moment before the worlds, and I'm taking in as much info as I can.' Fox said the gates hung quite low in Spain, and she was too cautious in her approach. But after taking time out to savour her Olympic success, also winning gold in the C1 while her sister Noemie won the kayak cross, she felt she was building nicely for the world championships. Fox admitted the pressure of defending her title on her home course could be on par with the Olympics. 'Paris was magical in every way and it went perfectly, and was a very successful campaign, and fantastic to perform in that way,'' she said. 'Now looking forward, obviously you're always going to have that expectation and target on your back, you're the reigning Olympic champion, reigning world champion in the kayak, and that hovers there, like a cloud, if you let it. 'Everyone's hungry for that race, and just because you're world number one or just because you're the reigning champion doesn't mean it's different. 'Coming into a world championship at home is going to feel very much like an Olympics in terms of the pressure and the expectation, but I think we'll be ready. 'I love our home course and that's going to serve me, and I'm going to try and make it an advantage.' While she's set to compete in the next Olympics in Los Angeles, Fox is also looking beyond her paddling career and has partnered with charity organisation High Impact Athletes, with sponsors pledging an amount for each 'clean' gate on the course. 'It's about looking beyond sport and going, how else can I have an impact, and how do I keep this interesting and exciting, and what's my legacy going to be?,'' she said.
