Leinster head coach Leo Cullen hailed his players for controlling the threats of Scarlets as they booked their place in the final of the Champions Cup.
Cullen’s men ran in five tries across their 22-point hammering of the Welsh outfit and can now look forward to a trip to Bilbao for next month’s showpiece final.
Speaking post-match to David McIntyre, Cullen shared his delight about how his side performed against last season’s PRO12 champions.
“We’re delighted,” Cullen told Off The Ball.
“I thought the physical commitment from the players was top class. Getting a try early in the game settles everybody down and – for the most part – we were able to play the game in the right areas of the field and take the opportunities when they came.
“[We] showed good patience in the 22 on a number of occasions where we bash and bash away. We also got two tries from going down through the middle and obviously Fergus [McFadden] gets in on the edge after narrowing them up as well.
“There was good variation from our game and now it’s about looking forward to Bilbao – a very unusual challenge. I remember we went to the pre-season tour one year with Michael Cheika – that was when I came back from England – in the 2007/08 season.
“That was the only time I’ve been to Bilbao before. We’ll try and prepare as well as we possibly can and hopefully we’ll get a similar support of Leinster fans down. The last couple of weeks have been unbelievable; the game in the Aviva against Saracens and the game here today.
“Even the drive into the ground today, seeing all the blue in the streets – they’re very special days and we’ll certainly savour all those moments.”
Asked whether his side adopted a more conservative approach, Cullen acknowledged the threats Scarlets had to offer.
“I think it depends on how the game is unfolding,” Cullen said.
“So having that lead from the early tries allows you to be able to play more of a pressure game and we’ll always back our forwards in the set-piece, scrum and the maul. And then it’s just about putting on the squeeze and playing in the right areas.
“We know Scarlets are such a threat if you present turnover opportunities for them – they’re very, very dangerous. I thought for the most part we dealt with some of the breakdown threats that they have very well.
“The likes of Tadhg [Beirne], James Davies and John Barclay in particular. But they’ve a number of guys who are very strong in that area, so to be able to manage that area of the game is important and how we lay out our attack.
“I thought the players – the game managers – mixed things up pretty well. I think you need to have that variation going against these top teams.”
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Written by James Hopper
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