Leo Cullen says reports on Leinster's salary bill are 'miles off'

The eastern province were stunned at home on Saturday.

STAR MAN: Leinster's Jordie Barrett dejected after the game on Saturday. Pic: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has described as “wild” reports in the English and French media of a salary cap at the province that stretches up to €17million per year.

The club’s resources, financial and in terms of personnel, have long been a source of fascination here and abroad, especially when it comes to the back end of a Champions Cup campaign, and it was no different last week.

One publication suggested that Leinster’s budget in that department was over twice that of a Saints side that edged them by three points in Saturday’s semi-final in Dublin, after which Cullen was asked about the numbers in question.

“It is wild,” he said. “That’s miles off. Unfortunately, people can write whatever they want. As we know, the system here is a little more complex than in other countries, but we don’t have a published salary cap.

“I don’t think it’s a conversation for this moment in time. I’ve seen some of those figures and they’re just not accurate. How do you correct people who write things that aren’t true in the current media?” Leinster’s bid for a first Champions Cup title since 2018 fell short against a superb Saints effort with the hosts controversially denied a late penalty try and then failing with a tap penalty metres from the line.

Joe McCarthy admitted that this was up there with the worst of days.

“Yeah, it definitely is,” said the Ireland second row. “There was no point in the last ten minutes that I thought we weren’t going to win. We were getting good opportunities, it felt like it was going to come.”