Leo Cullen: Leinster not done yet after latest Champions Cup blow

DOWN BUT NOT OUT: Leinster head coach Leo Cullen during the Investec Champions Cup final between Leinster and Toulouse at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Leo Cullen has promised that there is plenty more to come from his Leinster team - in the coming weeks and further down the line - despite the “devastating” Champions Cup final loss to Toulouse after extra-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Irish side came up short on a 31-22 scoreline against the French outfit in what was a remarkable game of rugby.

Ciaran Frawley’s drop goal to win it at the end of normal time flew just the wrong side of the post. The margins were that tight.

“Pretty devastating,” said the Leinster head coach. “You can see the lads out there. We poured a huge amount into this campaign and, listen, we said it beforehand, this was a game with two very good teams in it.”

The one hundred-plus minutes threw up so much to unpack. Toulouse had tries disallowed at the start and towards the end of normal time, there was a disputed yellow for James Lowe before the crucial Toulouse try in extra-time, a red for Richie Arnold that the winners shrugged off and those are just the headlines.

Ultimately though, Leinster will look back at the mountains of possession, territory and pressure they enjoyed for long periods and their inability to convert all bar one – Josh van der Flier’s extra-time try – into five or seven points. Their attack was a concern going into this game and it proved to be an Achilles heel against what was a superb Toulouse defence.

“So it was probably a game that was just about taking opportunities,” Cullen admitted when speaking to RTÉ post-match.

“That is so important. We had plenty of opportunities we couldn’t quite nail. Toulouse scrambled well, they pushed the boundaries at times in terms of defending their own try line and they dug in there well.”

That’s a third loss in three successive Champions Cup deciders now for the Irish side. It’s a brutal run of near-misses, the first two being three- and one-point defeats to Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle, and it raises questions about their ability to get the job done when it comes to the very summit of the club game.

Whatever about their next European odyssey, the immediate task is a URC game against Connacht in the RDS next Friday and a bid to win a league title that would at least stave off the haunting prospect of a third season on the trot without any trophy of any description to show for their efforts.

“Our season is not over so we need to turn our attention to the URC which again will be a challenge as we have a game at home in the RDS in six days’ time so it is important that we show character as a group now,” said Cullen.

“Devastating day today, credit to Toulouse, they showed the champions qualities they had, particularly their captain. I thought Antoine Dupont came up with some really big moments at different stages for his team so it is tough.”

This is, he admitted “another painful experience” for the team and the club but there is no time to lick any wounds now. Not yet.

“Listen, we’re sorry we couldn’t get over the line today but there is plenty more in this group. There are a lot of young players there who again will be the better for it in the future, as tough as it is to say that right now.”