Horgan awaits next phase

This day last year they couldn’t do without him. Leo Cullen couldn’t anyhow.

When the final whistle blew in Cardiff to complete probably the most remarkable comeback in Heineken Cup history, two of the starters immediately sprang to Cullen’s mind. Gordon D’Arcy was one, being “made of stone”. And the other was Shane Horgan. In Cullen’s book Horgan personified the toughness and leadership that now emanated through this team.

“Shaggy has had such a tough year with injury, he’s been so courageous,” Cullen would reflect, and because he felt Leinster wouldn’t have made it onto that winning podium without them, Cullen didn’t even want to go onto that podium unless Horgan and D’Arcy were flanking him.