Leo Cullen marks ref’s card on Steffon Armitage scrum antics

Leo Cullen has made a not-so-subtle bid to bend referee Nigel Owens’ ear ahead of their Pool 5 meeting with Toulon by referencing perceived illegalities on the part of back row poacher extraordinaire Steffon Armitage.

The English openside has crafted a reputation as the most effective poacher in the European game since moving to the south of France and Cullen made particular mention of him after expressing the need for some effective officiating at the scrum.

“We have a very experienced referee this week so we are hoping that we are able to deal with issues like that and hoping we will be able to deal with Armitage… who is borderline on a lot of occasions because as the tackler he doesn’t get clear release at the breakdown,” said Cullen.

“So, it is important that we are allowed to have a fair contest in terms of cleaning out when our ball carriers carry into contact.”

Cullen is hampered by the continued absence of one of his chief carriers in Sean O’Brien. The flanker’s inner ear issue is progressing but he is still several weeks away from returning to a team he last graced in the opening European defeat to Wasps in mid-November.

Lock Hayden Triggs is also out for six weeks with an ankle injury while young scrum-half Luke McGrath is another absentee, although Rob Kearney returns from his hamstring injury in a move which sees Isa Nacewa switch to the wing.

It is a side boasting a dozen Irish internationals in the starting XV with seven more on the bench, though the focus has inevitably been on a Toulon side featuring most of the usual star-studded suspects and one boosted by Ma’a Nonu, Duane Vermeulen and Samu Manoa.

Leinster’s coaching staff has pinpointed defensive line speed and ball protection as two of the key ingredients this week while Cullen will have to hope that the scrum and lineout stutters that profited Bath last month are behind them.

Combatting the breakdown scavenging of Steffon Armitage will stand as another high priority for Cullen who will hope that Jonathan Sexton and his fellow World Cup returnees can improve on their form of late.

Ultimately, Leinster travel with too many question marks — their attack has failed to fire in their last three outings as well — to back them with anything approaching confidence. The odds are their campaign will be all but over by the time these two meet at the Aviva this day next week.