Blueblood Cullen’s eye of the Tiger

FATE, eh? Leo Cullen signed for Leicester Tigers four years ago hoping to further his career, and now his old muckers are all that stand between him and the European club game’s highest honour.

Probably not how he would have scripted it, but Cullen knows precisely just what awaits Leinster at Murrayfield today, even if his last game for Leicester was 24 months ago.

Two years and three days, to be exact. He replaced Ben Kay 54 minutes into the 2007 Heineken final at Twickenham on an afternoon when Wasps ended their hopes of a treble after victories in the Premiership and EDF Cup.

He remembers it well.

“Leicester had been very successful that season. They had already won the EDF and played in the Premiership final the week before and had a very comfortable win against Gloucester. I think the problem is, when you win comfortably, it leads to a bit of natural complacency.

“Wasps, I suppose, had been sitting back and watching the games unfold for a couple of weeks and they ambushed Leicester in the final in many ways. It was a very disappointing day. It was a very successful season for Leicester, but there was a feeling that was a final that got away for the club.”

It was a rare black cloud in what had been an illuminating and rewarding two-year spell with the Welford Road club. He played 56 times for Leicester and wore the captain’s armband on 16 of those occasions.

Then, as now, the club was awash with internationals and Cullen’s own exile from Eddie O’Sullivan’s panel meant that he was left holding the fort for long stretches while others were away on national duties.

Martin Corry was one of those whose back he watched so diligently. The former England captain appreciated it and delivered a heartfelt eulogy when Cullen and Shane Jennings returned to Leinster.

“They have been heart and soul Leicester since they have been here and it’s a shame to see them go,” said Corry who handed the honour of lifting the Premiership trophy over to the two Irishmen after the defeat of Gloucester. It was a small gesture but its significance was huge.

Cullen defers just as much when talking about his old employers. He describes the Tigers as a way of life rather than a club and he relished the emphasis on the physical nature of the game.

He has noted their evolvement too. Pat Howard brought a more expansive element to their game during his time in charge and Richard Cockerill has reintroduced that philosophy since taking over earlier this year.

The key to Leicester’s success has been their ability to surf the waves created by the unavoidable turnover of players and coaches, all the time keeping the heart of the club vibrant and the engine purring.

“Leicester is a bit of a small town and the players tend to be pretty tight knit. They all live in a similar locality and they are a bit away from the whole London and West Country rugby culture. They are a bit isolated on their own there in the midlands.

“They are just based on hard work, being tight-knit and fighting for each other. They certainly like a good old bash at training and that is how they like to play the game as well, by having a good old bash at the opposition.

“It is also driven by their support. They have a massive fan base. Their supporters demand success because they are used to it and that can have a bit of a snowball effect. That is true for successful teams across the world in different sports.”

Leinster didn’t stand still during his time away.

His last game for the club prior to his departure was a Celtic Cup semi-final against Munster at Lansdowne Road when a disappointing 13,500 punters coughed up the cash to watch events unfold.

Two years later, almost as many paid in to the RDS for his first game back against Edinburgh even though the World Cup was still in full swing and Leinster were operating without any of their internationals.

Progress was made on the pitch too. Half of today’s team started that day against the Scottish side – Jonathan Sexton and Luke Fitzgerald among them – even though Brian O’Driscoll and the boys marked absent. Now look at them.

“I’ve always had a massive belief in the ability of Leinster,” he insists. “Things obviously haven’t gone our way sometimes on the big day before but we’re just trying to keep the ethic, that we’ll work harder and be consistent. Once we have that hard work ethic and consistency, we’ll get results in the long run.”

The hope is that the finishing line will be breached today but Cullen takes a leaf from Michael Cheika’s book at that juncture and talks about the need to focus on performances rather than results or destinations.

All very understandable and, hey, it has got them this far but he cannot deny that this European final, whatever the result, already means that much more to him than his first experience with Leicester.

“I think so. Leinster has been a massive part of my life even though I left them and went away for two years. When you have grown up and played for a team through schoolboy level all the way up through U20s and into the senior ranks, it does add that bit more, especially when you have friends and family who would tend to support and follow the team throughout their lives as well.”

Today is what he came back to Dublin for. What he has dreamt about ever since making his senior debut for the province against what were then the Edinburgh Reivers at Kelso 11 years ago.

He claims to be enjoying it all, despite the pressure, but then the Leinster lads have had time to soak it all up as their duties have been light since the defeat of Munster in Croke Park three weeks ago.

Leicester’s workload has been more considerable. Cardiff were seen off in the other semi-final, but only after extra-time. Subsequent defeats of Bath and London Irish and an eighth Premiership title followed.

Could today be one game too far? “I don’t know. I suppose there was that fear for them last week as well (against London Irish) and they came through pretty well. As Cheiks says, when you get into dogging out those games you become very hard to beat.

“That’s what Leicester have become. They’re on a roll, on something like 13 out of 14 they’ve won. It’s a formidable opposition considering the quality opposition they’ve met along the way. They’re well used to this over the years. They pride themselves on getting themselves into those positions and, more often than not, they tend to capitalise.”

He should know.