Under-fire Leinster head coach Leo Cullen insists he is still the right man to guide the Irish giants to an elusive fifth Investec Champions Cup title.
Pressure has intensified on Cullen following Leinster’s crushing 41-19 defeat to Bordeaux Bègles in last weekend’s final in Bilbao – their fifth defeat in a Champions Cup final since lifting the trophy in 2017-18.
Speaking ahead of Leinster’s Vodacom URC quarter-final against the Lions in Dublin on Saturday, Cullen made it clear he has no intention of stepping aside.
“Yes, absolutely, 100% believe that,” Cullen said when asked if he was still the man to lead Leinster back to European glory. “Just to put it on the record, absolutely.”
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Cullen, who has coached Leinster since 2015, admitted the latest defeat had been painful for the squad.
“I know it feels after you lose like the world has ended. Listen, that’s the way we feel, by the way,” he said. “So we’re feeling it hard.”
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Despite criticism from some quarters after appearing to downplay the defeat earlier in the week, Cullen insisted Leinster remain “desperate to be the top team in club rugby. That’s what we want to be.”
The former Leinster lock believes leaving the role would be counter-productive.
“There’s so much planning going into this already,” he said. “So for me to walk away from this, that’s not going to make this better.”
Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
The post Cullen won’t quit Leinster appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Under-fire Leinster head coach Leo Cullen insists he is still the right man to guide the Irish giants to an elusive fifth Investec Champions Cup title.
The post Cullen won’t quit Leinster appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
