Leo Cullen pledges improvement despite hammering of Zebre

Leinster 41 Zebre 6: Leo Cullen expects to his Leinster side to be a tougher proposition next weekend – despite hammering Zebre 41-6.

That may be bad news for Benetton — who won their 10th PRO14 game last weekend — who are also pushing for a play-off spot in a season that has seen them cast aside their ‘also ran’ status.

Michael Bradley’s men stayed with a disjointed Leinster side up to half-time on Saturday, but were blown away in the second half, as the hosts took control and their bench twisted the knife. Seven tries in all were scored, but the most important detail may be how Cian Healy, Tadhg Furlong, Dan Leavy and Devin Toner all came through the tie unscathed. With the visit of Scarlets, for the Champions Cup semi-final, just 12 days away, Cullen needs to keep the province’s medical team as quiet as possible.