Cullen expresses hope Rónan Kelleher can maintain strong Six Nations form on Leinster return

While he only started once during the spring international window Kelleher saw game time in all five fixtures Ireland played in the 2026 edition of the Championship

BASE CAMP: Rónan Kelleher, centre, is back in Leinster training after an impressive Six Nations showing. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

Ahead of his potential return to provincial duty against Glasgow Warriors tomorrow, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen expressed his hope that Rónan Kelleher can maintain the strong form he displayed for Ireland during this year’s Six Nations.

While he only started once during the spring international window – a fourth round victory over Wales at the Aviva Stadium on March 6 – Kelleher saw game time in all five fixtures Ireland played in the 2026 edition of the Championship.

His impact was substantial in a campaign that saw Ireland claiming a fourth Triple Crown in the space of five years, with his 97.4% tackle success rate (according to the official Six Nations website) only being surpassed by Mirco Spagnolo (Italy), Grant Gilchrist (Scotland) and Jean-Baptiste Gros (France).

His work at the lineout also caught the eye with Ireland winning 28 of his 30 set-piece deliveries during the tournament. The 28-year-old hooker was one of a number of players from Andy Farrell’s international squad to be pictured at Leinster training earlier this week in UCD, raising the prospect he will feature in the eastern province’s United Rugby Championship clash with table-toppers Glasgow at Scotstoun Stadium this weekend.

“He’s a very strong collision winner, Rónan. On both sides of the ball. From a defensive point of view, he stops guys dead as well by making tackles. I thought you saw him carrying quite a bit as well playing in the Wales game,” Cullen remarked earlier this week.

FULL TILT: Kelleher takes off during the game against Wales at the Aviva Stadium. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

“Ireland were carrying a lot at them and Rónan I thought was very effective in terms of his footwork and his strength in the contact area. He has done a lot of really good stuff in the Six Nations. Hopefully we see that form continue on for the remainder of the season.” 

For each of his four outings off the bench for Ireland in the Six Nations, it was Dan Sheehan who got the nod ahead of Kelleher at hooker.

There is also an intense battle for the number two spot between the pair at Leinster with both players starting their share of big games for the Blues. Having two experienced internationals vying for the same position can leave coaches with a significant headache but, as Cullen points out, this has often been the case right across the Leinster front-row.

“We’ve probably seen similar examples of that over the years. Whether Cian [Healy] and Andrew Porter as two looseheads as an example. Even Andrew Porter was initially tighthead, so him and Tadhg [Furlong] would have been fulfilling that similar type of job,” Cullen added.

“Cian Healy and Jack McGrath, two international players again, would have been fighting it out for a number of years. Internationally and provincially. I think it’s important to look at the 80 minutes of a game as well.

“I think people can get a little bit fixated on the starting 15, but if you look at the 80 minutes of a game, the fresh impact that a player can bring. He can nearly be more important than the guy that starts the game.”