To borrow Leo Cullen’s own phrase, Leinster were “getting a bit of flak” in the early weeks of the season. That criticism has since been well and truly silenced.
An outstanding run of form has seen the province reel off ten consecutive wins in all competitions, and they now have the opportunity to make it 11 straight when they host Edinburgh at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, before attention turns to the Guinness Six Nations break.
The defence of their BKT URC title did not begin smoothly. Leinster managed just one win from their opening four league fixtures, struggling for momentum while a long list of frontline players was unavailable. Since then, however, Cullen’s side have surged back into contention, winning six URC matches on the bounce to climb to third in the table, while also completing a perfect four-from-four record in the Investec Champions Cup pool stage.
Reflecting on that turnaround, Cullen was quick to credit the resilience shown within the camp.
“I have to applaud our players and staff because they’ve worked incredibly hard over the last couple of months,” he said. “The group was getting a bit of flak at the start of the season, especially with the number of players missing, and we just took it on the chin.
“It’s a real credit to the characteristics these guys show every day.”
Leinster’s latest success came last weekend in Galway, where they claimed a 34–23 bonus-point win over Connacht in front of a record 12,461 crowd at the Dexcom Stadium, on a night that also marked the opening of the new Clan Stand.
“We knew it was going to be a huge occasion because it’s been in the calendar for a long time,” Cullen said. “We were heading into a hostile environment against a team that was going to be hugely motivated, so we expected a tough challenge.
“Connacht started the game a million miles an hour. They flew into everything on both sides of the ball, exactly as we thought they would. Credit to them, it was tit-for-tat throughout.
“It’s always satisfying to come away from a place like that with a bonus-point win.”
Focus now shifts to Saturday’s URC meeting with Edinburgh, who arrive in Dublin sitting 12th in the table after a home defeat to the Vodacom Bulls last time out.
Assistant coach Robin McBryde believes Leinster must ensure their recent work is capped off properly before the break.
“After a difficult start, we’ve just kept building week by week through what’s been a long block,” he said. “It’s been good, but now we’ve got to finish the job.
“Everyone is looking forward to the break after Saturday, so it’s one final push. There’s a different feel around the place this week with a lot of internationals away with their countries, which is always an honour.
“It brings a different energy and buzz, and everyone’s excited for the weekend.”
McBryde is expecting a response from the Scottish side following last weekend’s setback.
“They’ll be hurting after that result and keen to finish their own block on a high,” he added. “It’s always better going into a break with a win because the result stays with you.
“They’re a cohesive group, so it’ll be tough enough. We just need to improve on certain aspects from last Saturday and really re-knuckle down.”
