Leo Cullen: 'Players are free to decide where they play'

FREE TO DECIDE: Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has stressed that players are free to decide where they want to play their rugby. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Leo Cullen has stressed that players are free to decide where they want to play their rugby as the debate about a perceived backlog of talent in the Leinster ranks bubbles to the surface again.

Gus McCarthy’s superb debut against Fiji has had a lot to do with this.

Fifth-choice hooker with the province at the end of last season, the Dubliner is still in the Leinster academy but has leapfrogged to the top of the queue with the national team thanks to a combination of injury and opportunity.

It means Leinster now have three Test hookers with Dan Sheehan and Rónan Kelleher already established. Lee Barron and John McKee have almost 50 games between them at the position as well. Young Stephen Smith is another to keep an eye on.

None are older than 26.

The comparison has been made with Munster where their only Test hooker is 32-year old Niall Scannell. Diarmuid Barron (an Ireland ‘A’ player two years ago), Scott Buckley and Eoghan Clarke complete the resources at that position.

It is no slight on that quartet to suggest there is an imbalance between the rivals. The sweat wasn’t dry on the players who beat Fiji when Ian Madigan was suggesting a move for McCarthy to Munster on Virgin TV.

Cullen has heard all this before.

“There has always been conversations in the background and things get offered to players all the time. The players are free to make these decisions, particularly when they are off contract.

“We would have the same squad numbers as the other provinces, that’s the thing that people tend to not realise. That’s always been the way. There are a number of ex-Leinster guys playing with the other provinces.

“Some players that were playing here last year are with some other provinces, some have moved abroad. I can’t speak for the recruitment of the other provinces. We try to focus on what we do here ourselves. The numbers are pretty similar.” 

Leinster operate with 43 senior players and another 21 or 22 in the academy – the latter of which McCarthy is still a part, let’s not forget – and the head coach insisted that the path is always there for players to scoot up through the ranks.

“They want to be here, they feel they are progressing and they feel they are able to take the competition on a week-to-week basis. And when they get their opportunity, they play well and they get rewarded. There’s not some sort of set team here.” 

Cullen was thrilled at the Ireland senior debuts made in recent weeks by McCarthy, Thomas Clarkson and Sam Prendergast with the latter producing a very good performance against Fiji on his first start on the back of an early yellow card.

With Ciaran Frawley pitching in impressively off the bench, and the Byrne brothers Ross and Harry turning out for the Leinster A's this month, the decision as to who wears the blue No.10 is only getting harder and harder.

“We just base it on what we see as well. We want a competitive group. The fact that young guys kick on is what you want to see. It puts more pressure on senior guys or whoever else is in the mix for that selection in that position.

“A selection headache would be if you had nobody to select. That would be a different conversation but the lads know it is competitive here. We have talked about it for years so it’s not a new phenomenon.

“Obviously Johnny was at ten for a long time and there were guys challenging him at different stages. The dynamic is different now that Johnny has moved on and you have other players who had waited for the opportunity. They have to make it happen.

“It’s all only positive for Leinster and for Ireland as well hopefully.” 

Meanwhile, Ryan Baird and Jack Boyle have departed the Ireland squad and returned to Leinster HQ where they will be joined this week by RG Snyman and Jordie Barrett after that pair’s duties with South Africa and New Zealand respectively.

Snyman played three times for the Springboks and will be assessed before a decision is made on what game time he will see. Barrett starts his short-term contract with the province having sat out the All Blacks’ win over Italy at the weekend with injury.

"He's [due] in this week, it's just been back and forth on the phone. He was ruled out at the weekend and thankfully it's not serious, again, we just need to get some eyes on him and make a call as to when he gets up and running fully.” 

Leinster face Ulster away on Friday in the URC and Bristol Bears in the UK next Sunday week as they get their Champions Cup campaign underway.