True Blue Leo Cullen determined to get it right for Leinster Rugby

Battles with Munster informed a considerable portion of Leo Cullen’s playing career, so it was no surprise he looked back at one of them in seeking precedents that show Leinster can still keep current European ambitions alive.

“I have been in the position where we lost to London Irish in that first game in Europe (in 2009),” he explained yesterday.

“Not by as big a margin, but lost nonetheless at home.

“Even when I was playing with Leicester Tigers when we had Munster in our group. We lost at home in our first game at Welford Road (and qualified) so it is not a new experience.

“I have gone away from those games thinking the world is over, but we just need to focus on what we can focus on and that is Bath on Saturday.”

It is a game that has assumed monumental importance given the shocking 33-6 defeat to Wasps at the RDS last Sunday which left Cullen’s Leinster wedged behind the black ball in Pool 5 ahead of tomorrow’s round two visit to The Rec and the back-to-back fixtures against Toulon.

What Cullen didn’t mention is Leicester had to become the first ever team to defeat Munster in a European tie in Limerick to make up for that opening 21-19 loss in October, 2006, a day forever remembered for Ronan O’Gara’s winning kick from the halfway line.

Leinster will need to produce something just as dramatic if they are to emerge into the latest knockout phases and news on their personnel situation was decidedly mixed ahead of today’s flight to Bristol.

Sean O’Brien, Richardt Strauss and Mike McCarthy are all unlikely to feature, the concussions they suffered against Wasps leaving them with a turnaround that simply looks too tight even though Cullen claimed their return-to-play protocols were progressing according to plan.

Added to that is the news Jack Conan will miss six to ten weeks, having broken a bone in his foot in training, though the expectation is Isa Nacewa, Rob Kearney, Luke Fitzgerald, Ben Te’o and Rhys Ruddock should feature, having being marked absent last week, is more encouraging.

So, four out and possibly four in as Leinster seek to atone for last week.

Leinster’s back line looked decidedly unspectacular on paper in round one and even more so on the field of play where half-backs Eoin Reddan and Jonathan Sexton endured difficult afternoons behind a pack that hardly set the world alight itself.

Six days hardly makes for a lot of time to right the many wrongs of last week, especially away to a Bath side that is loaded with promise, but Cullen was quick to respond to the suggestion that his inexperience as a head coach will be an issue as they go about it.

“In terms of European experience, there’s not many people have more. That’s a fact. The coaching part of it, yeah there are certain things, but there’s not a huge amount I can do about that.

“I will endeavour to do the very best that I can for this club because it means a huge amount for me.”