Latest news with #Lions-bound
The 42
13-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'If you lose a final are you a failure?' - Cullen's bigger picture approach to URC decider
LEO CULLEN BECAME increasingly animated as he pre-URC final press conference stretched toward the half hour mark in Croke Park yesterday. He met the initial questions with a familiar hand-off, twisting an opening query about the return of Lions-bound pair Josh van der Flier and Garry Ringrose toward his own excitement for tomorrow's showdown with the Bulls in Drumcondra [KO 5pm, TG4/Premier Sports/URC TV]. Responding to a question about the fitness of Hugo Keenan and Tadhg Furlong, who both miss out, Cullen named-checked Thomas Clarkson, Rabah Slimani, Jimmy O'Brien, Jack Boyle, Andrew Porter and Cian Healy, without shedding any further light on the two Ireland internationals. It was only when the conversation wandered toward the bigger picture stuff that Cullen really came to life. The Leinster boss was asked what the province had taken on board from the various defeats in finals and knock-out games over the last few seasons, and how much those experiences will inform the approach this time around. 'They're all individual games,' he replied. 'Every play-off game is a final as such, so we have played in lots of play-off games, whether they come in a quarter-final, semi-final or final. The group is learning all the time, young players come through and you are adding layers of experience. 'I think the way some of the questions are leading me it's like, whoever loses is a failure in this game. So, they are two good teams going at it. If you lose in a final are you classified as a failure? 'You can play your best game in the final. So both of these teams could play their best games of the season but unfortunately one of the teams has to lose. So has one of the teams, who has just played their best game, are they classified… They are classified as losers because they have lost (laughs) but are they failures? Advertisement 'You have really good teams going at it but you are guaranteed nothing. So you have to prepare the best you can with the time you have available to put in your best performance. I hope the group goes out and does itself justice because they're going out in front of so many of their friends, family, loved ones, supporters, people that turn up in the most random places during the course of a season to see us play.' Cullen spoke to the media in Croke Park. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Cullen was now in full flow and continued his answer to draw back memories of his first final win, a 2001 Celtic League defeat of Munster at Lansdowne Road. 'I remember literally when Eric Miller kicked Anthony Foley in the balls, going back to discipline, and thinking to myself, 'Oh, we're just a bit of trouble here!'' Near the end of the session, a question about the value Jordie Barrett has added to the group behind the scenes led to Cullen diving into the playing resources of Ireland and South Africa. 'You're always looking to the group. At the end of the day, things people talk about, like resources and all of that, we're producing players. You go to South Africa, they're a people of what, 64 million people? We're a country of how many people? 8 million? Where does rugby sit in terms of sport? Fourth. In South Africa it's number one. 'In terms of the rugby-playing population, what would they have? 12 times the amount of players we have registered maybe? 15? We're a drop in the ocean in terms of what we're up against. 'When we get the opportunity to bring in a player… Listen, it's fantastic to be able to do that. But it's off the back of all the support we actually get. It gets reinvested into the group ultimately because you can only bring so many players in because part of our job spec is to produce players to play for Ireland. 'We're very lucky to have Jordie. He has hopefully added in lots of different ways to the group because at the end of the day we're a tiny country in terms of playing population and we're up against a juggernaut team who we would have watched play Super Rugby and dismantle teams over the years, so we know we're in for a serious bloody challenge.' A follow-up question extended the Barrett point to include RG Snyman, Rabah Slimani, and Leinster-bound Rieko Ioane, leading to Cullen referencing the two team sheets in front him, focusing on the list of Bulls names. 'I feel like I'm distracted from the Bulls now,' he admitted. Leinster trained in Croke Park on Thursday afternoon. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO 'Look through their team, there's a tonne of experience. I know Jake (White, Bulls head coach) was saying they're a young squad. I'm not sure what squad he's talking about, that's not a young group, that's not a young team. He was talking about that on Tuesday. Is he trying to lull us all into some false sense is he? A young group? Do you see a young group there? They're a serious experienced group we're up against and a team that has unbelievably high standards, that is used to winning, it's in their blood isn't it? 'Rugby, you're in South Africa and it's on morning, noon and night.' At that point a South African member of the media informed Cullen rugby might sit behind football in terms of popularity. 'Ah go away, will you?' Cullen laughed. 'Go away. Now you're not telling the truth, I know you're not telling the truth.' And with that he was off, closing a somewhat light yet occasionally tetchy half hour in the bowels of Croke Park.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Uncapped Aungier replaces Bealham in Ireland squad
Uncapped Connacht prop Jack Aungier has been called into the Ireland squad as a replacement for British and Irish Lions-bound Finlay Bealham. Dublin-born Aungier, 26, was part of the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa last year and trained with the senior squad during the 2025 Six Nations. Advertisement His Connacht team-mate Bealham was called up to Andy Farrell's Lions squad after Scotland's Zander Ferguson was ruled out with a calf injury. Tight-head Aungier - who becomes the 12th uncapped player in Paul O'Connell's squad came through the Leinster academy before joining Connacht in 2020. He has made 88 appearances for the western province. Ireland face Georgia and Portugal in two Tests on 5 and 12 July.
The 42
02-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Croke Park to stage URC final if Leinster progress
CROKE PARK HAS been confirmed as the venue if Leinster are hosting the URC Grand Final on Saturday, 14 June. Leo Cullen's side face Glasgow Warriors in the semi-finals this Saturday, 7 June, at Aviva Stadium [KO 2.45pm, live on RTÉ 2 and Premier Sports 1]. Victory there would see them progress to the showpiece for the first time since 2021, and again enjoy home advantage due to rankings. Croke Park has been confirmed to The 42 as the venue of choice. Advertisement Leinster have used Lansdowne Road and Croke Park for their home games over the last two seasons as the RDS undergoes redevelopment works. They last played at GAA HQ in April's Champions Cup last-16 win against Harlequins, while they also faced Munster there in the URC last October. Croke Park's capacity is over 82,000, while the Aviva holds almost 52,000. Just 12,879 fans attended Saturday's 33-21 quarter-final win over Scarlets. If defending champions Glasgow progress ahead of Leinster, the URC final will take place in South Africa. The Bulls host the Sharks in Pretoria in this weekend's other semi-final. Josh van der Flier and Jordan Larmour (file photo). Juan Gasparini / INPHO Juan Gasparini / INPHO / INPHO Meanwhile, Leinster have issued a mixed injury update. Jordan Larmour is available for selection on Saturday, having returned to full training after recovering from an injury. Josh van der Flier will be further assessed this week for a hamstring injury before a final decision will be made on his availability. The Lions-bound flanker was replaced before the half-hour mark of Saturday's quarter-final. Garry Ringrose (calf) and Tommy O'Brien (foot) will also undergo further assessment this week: neither featured last time out. No further updates were available on Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw, Will Connors and Brian Deeny.
The 42
31-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Players must make most of minutes in the Leinster machine
OPPORTUNITIES CAN BE limited in a squad as deep and competitive as Leinster's. This is something assistant coach Robin McBryde warned about earlier in the season, admitting the Leinster coaches had discussed the issue of getting enough minutes into their promising young players. 'It is tough,' McBryde said. 'I feel for them sometimes because it does stunt their development. I don't know what the answer is there.' Leinster try to rotate their squad and use that depth to their advantage, but, particularly as the season rolls into the business end, selection tends to fall into a more settled pattern. It presents a challenging scenario for players trying to nail down a spot in the squad, most notably those who are also starting to push through at Test level. Generally speaking, if a player is good enough to get capped in a November window or Six Nations, they tend to be highly important players at their clubs. For example, it's hard to imagine Cormac Izuchukwu going back to Ulster after winning his first Ireland cap last November and struggling to get into the Ulster 23. Likewise Cian Prendergast at Connacht or players like Munster pair Calvin Nash and Jack Crowley when they were first called in with Ireland. Further afield, Lions-bound Henry Pollock won his first England cap in the Six Nations and has built on that momentum by getting more experience in big club games – starting seven times for Northampton since returning from England camp. However there's a group of Leinster players who have worn the Ireland jersey this year, yet still been left disappointed on the big days with Leinster. Take Jack Boyle, who earlier this week was the only Irish player on the 16-strong URC Next-Gen Player of the Season shortlist. The 23-year-old prop is highly rated and came off the bench twice for Ireland in the Six Nations. That would usually be a springboard for greater exposure at club level but he's been stuck in a tough battle for minutes. Since the Six Nations finished, Boyle has started three games for Leinster. He's on the bench again today for the URC quarter-final meeting with Scarlets [KO 3pm, TG4/Premier Sports], with Andrew Porter firmly established as the first-choice loosehead and the soon-to-be-retired Cian Healy also clocking up four starts since the Six Nations. Advertisement Gus McCarthy falls into a similar bracket. The 21-year-old hooker faces some of the stiffest competition imaginable, with Dan Sheehan and Rónan Kelleher, both set to tour with the Lions this summer, ahead of him in the queue. Gus McCarthy won't be involved against the Scarlets today. Tom Maher / INPHO Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO It's been a breakthrough season for McCarthy, who has played four times for Ireland – twice in November and twice in the Six Nations. Yet when Sheehan and Kelleher are both fit, McCarthy feels the squeeze at Leinster. Since the Six Nations he's played three games, with the URC round 15 win against Ulster his only start during that period. Earlier this month he lined out for Leinster A against Ulster A. McCarthy misses out again today, with Kelleher starting and Sheehan providing cover off the bench. A player like Jamie Osborne is in a slightly different situation, but can also fall on the wrong side of those selection calls. Osborne's versatility is one of his great strengths, and this season he's had starts at inside centre, outside centre, left wing and right wing. The 23-year-old is further along the line that many of Leinster teammates when it comes to international rugby. He memorably started both Tests against South Africa last summer and has added five caps across the November and Six Nations windows. In the Six Nations he earned two starts, at fullback v Wales and on the wing against France, and had been spoken about as an outside bet for the Lions. He's built on that with more time on the pitch at Leinster, starting five games since returning from the Six Nations, but notably he was left out of the Leinster 23 for their biggest game during that run – the Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton. Today he's back in the starting team, perhaps benefitting from the short-term injuries to Garry Ringrose (calf) and Tommy O'Brien (foot), who both miss out. It's a challenge not just confined to the province's younger squad players. Jimmy O'Brien, 28, is another Ireland international who watched the Northampton game from the stands, despite enjoying a good run in the team in the URC. At 27, Ciarán Frawley has been on the scene for some time now and looked to be hitting a new level last season. He was an important part of Leinster's run to the Champions Cup final defeat to Toulouse and played a starring role off the bench on Ireland's tour to South Africa. His form dipped earlier in this season and it's been a mixed bag since. Frawley was in the Six Nations squad but only got to pull on the Ireland jersey in an 'A' game against England. Lose ground, and it can be tough to claw your way back in. The Skerries man has had starts at 10 and 15 for Leinster over the last two months but has started the last three games – including today's quarter-final – on the bench. Frawley looked set for a big season coming out of that South Africa tour but as it stands at Leinster, Hugo Keenan is the locked-in first choice fullback, with Sam Prendergast the same at out-half. That fierce competition is part of the package when it comes to being a Leinster player, but it means that on days like today, they have to step up and make the most of their gametime. Leinster are expected to get the job done at Aviva Stadium and secure a home semi-final next week. Leo Cullen's side have three games to hurdle if they are to end their trophy drought. For some of those players who have been involved in tight selection calls across the campaign, there's still time to have a big say in how the season ends. LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Jimmy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt). Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Ciarán Frawley. SCARLETS: Blair Murray; Tom Rogers, Joe Roberts, Johnny Williams, Ellis Mee; Sam Costelow, Arhie Hughes; Alec Hepburn, Ryan Elias, Henry Thomas; Alex Craig, Sam Lousi; Vaea Fifita, Josh Macleod (capt), Taine Plumtree. Replacements: Marnus van der Merwe, Kemsley Mathias, Sam Wainwright, Dan Davis, Jarrod Taylor, Efan Jones, Ioan Lloyd, Macs Page. Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU).
