Rejuvenated Cullen set for Euro return in Cardiff cauldron

CHRISTIAN CULLEN is poised for a Heineken Cup return in Cardiff tomorrow, after injury, with John Kelly and Barry Murphy ruled out of the clash at the Arms Park.

Kelly (hamstring) and Murphy (shoulder) have a good chance of being fit for the return fixture at Thomond Park next Saturday, but their absence tomorrow could open a window of opportunity for Cullen.

The former All Black star lined out for Munster against Connacht last week and grabbed a try in the process of proving his fitness following another lengthy lay-off.

As expected Munster coach Declan Kidney has elected to start with Shaun Payne at full back, Ian Dowling and Anthony Horgan on the wings, and to give Lifeimi Mafi his first Heineken Cup start alongside Trevor Halstead.

Cullen, Mossy Lawlor and Diogo Mateus are all being considered for the No 22 shirt, with Cullen the favourite to get in.

With the weather forecast poor, the European champions might be forced to rely on their pack for supremacy, with No 8 Denis Leamy described yesterday by Jim Williams as one of the top three in his position in the world. The Tipperary destroyer is taking it in his stride, however, and is just pleased to be bedding down in one position.

“I’ve been moved around a bit, and it’s good to settle down, to form a bit of constancy. It gives you the opportunity to work on things that will be of benefit as time goes on,” he said.

“From the time I started, I played right throughout the pitch; sometimes it was in the forwards, sometimes in the backs. Ultimately I ended up playing in the forwards because of my size, but I was quite happy to facilitate Munster by playing in the backs when they had a few injury problems.

“I would play anywhere; all you can do in that situation is to go out and try to do your best,” he added.

“I wouldn’t regard myself as a Serge Blanco or Philippe Sella. The only thing you can do is try your best.”

If the term all-rounder applies to anyone it should be to Leamy, who can also look back on another part of his sporting career when goal kicking was a priority.

As a schoolboy prodigy at Rockwell College, he was relied upon to take long-range kicks, and he did so with such aplomb that he helped his school win the Munster Schools Junior Cup by knocking over a couple of crucial penalties in a final victory over Crescent Comprehensive nine years ago.

He recalled those days in the light of the pressure that specialist kickers like Ronan O’Gara find themselves under in the modern game.

“I’m not quite sure that I would like to be in that position now. There’s just too much pressure. But I did kick a lot in my day. I kicked quite successfully but it wasn’t quite pressure-laden because normally I took the ones from distance.

“I had a fair lash off a ball. I come from a GAA background and I used to take free kicks in Gaelic. I never had a problem with distance, but maybe keeping it accurate was the biggest problem,” he said.

Goal kicking will be the least of his worries as he prepares to front up to Cardiff.

“We have had to go through a lot of work in the last 12 days, sitting down and ironing out the little problems that always arise when a team like ours comes back together after a lapse of time. It was good to get a game against a team like Connacht, who are always capable of testing you, under our belts.

“It’s good to learn that we’re not the finished article and that we have to work a lot harder and play a lot better this weekend if we’re to come away with a win.”