Cullen says ‘time was right’ for move
The Irish second row, who won his 16th and 17th Irish caps on the recent tour to Japan, signed for Leicester but his first game was a pre-season friendly against Connacht in Galway.
His second will be at Welford Road tonight and he could be excused for thinking he is still involved in the Irish inter-provincial championship!
Cullen will face old rival Mick O’Driscoll and pal Trevor Hogan when Munster come to town. (Hogan won his first two Irish caps as a replacement alongside Cullen in Japan).
Munster coach Declan Kidney has made limited changes from the experimental team that defeated Northampton last week at Thomond Park. John Kelly comes in for the injured Mike Mullins, Frank Murphy replaces Mike Prendergast and Hogan starts instead of Donncha Ryan.
Anthony Foley, the captain, will sit on the bench and Stephen Keogh will lead the team out again. Newcomers Trevor Halstead and Federico Pucceriello are likely to feature as replacements, but Frankie Roche will start for the second week in succession at loose head prop.
Cullen, meanwhile, is settling well in his new home. Stressing he did not actively seek a move from Ireland he admits the coaching disruptions back at Leinster were disconcerting.
“Ultimately, the changing scenario had nothing much to do with it. I worked under some very good coaches in the last few years and picked up different tips from each of them but it wasn’t a huge disruption or the reason for leaving,” he said.
“The day after the Celtic League semi-final defeat by Munster, I got a call asking whether I would be interested in talking to people in Leicester. I had other proposals during the year but nothing that I treated seriously. The chance to join a club like Leicester, was serious.
“I think the time was right; I hadn’t signed a new deal with Leinster and felt that if I had signed, I was going to play all my career in Ireland. I doubt if I would have moved at 29.
“This is a great opportunity to go out and challenge myself. At the moment, in Irish terms, there are three second rows ahead of me in the pecking order. Maybe I was in the comfort zone at home, so I hope this will change with my move to Leicester.”
Already, Cullen believes the change will be good.
“The facilities are better. I think it’s a general thing in Ireland, bar in the GAA. I think the other sports in Ireland are probably guilty of not having invested enough, quickly enough. It’s changing now, but we’re still behind sport over here in that sense.
“Leicester has been to the forefront of English and European club rugby over a number of years, and the club has built on success by pretty shrewd and calculated investment.”
: S. Vesty, A. Tuilagi, D. Hipkiss, D. Gibson (captain), T. Varndell, A. Goode, H. Ellis, M. Holford, G. Chuter, A. Moreno, J. Hamilton, L. Cullen, B. Deacon, W. Johnson, S. Jennings.
: B. Martin,. P. Devlin, J. Kelly, R. Henderson, M. Lawlor, P, Burke, F. Murphy, F. Roche, J. Flannery, T. Buckley, T. Hogan, M. O’Driscoll, J. O’Sullivan, S. Keogh (captain), J. O’Connor.
: E. McGovern, D. Fogarty, F. Pucceriello, D. Ryan, A. Foley, M. Prendergast, J. Manning, I. Dowling, T. Halstead, B. Tuohy, B. Murphy.
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