Back to news
Cullen disappointed but not dismayed after 'pretty good' Leinster performance in Pretoria
@Source: the42.ie
Advertisement
League of Ireland
Horse Racing
TV Listings
GAA Fixtures
The Video Review
Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture
Rugby Weekly Extra
Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week
The Football Family
Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points
Advertisement
More Stories
Bulls head coach Jake White with Leo Cullen before the game.Steve Haag Sports/Christiaan Kotze/INPHO
Freefine margins
Cullen disappointed but not dismayed after 'pretty good' Leinster performance in Pretoria
The eastern province’s unbeaten record ended in last-gasp fashion against the Bulls.
7.18pm, 22 Mar 2025
Share options
Brendan Nel reports from Loftus Versfeld
LEINSTER COACH LEO Cullen was disappointed but took the last-minute defeat at the hands of the Bulls in his stride as Leinster lost their unbeaten record in the United Rugby Championship.
Cullen said he was proud of Leinster’s performance and that, given they lacked some cohesion coming off the break of the Six Nations and faced further disruptions during the game, he wasn’t devastated by the nature of the loss.
Advertisement
“It was lots of good work,” Cullen said. “It wasn’t the prettiest of contests really but that was because we were coming off a break and teams lack a bit of cohesion coming back into the season. It’s not a nice way to lose a game at the end, but we put in a lot of effort up until that point and it was 83 minutes on the clock when the penalty went over.
“If you look back on the clock we had to manage a lot of disruptions. I don’t think we’ve ever had four HIAs in one half of rugby before. The guys adapted pretty well with certain things, there is always a challenge when you lose two guys in the first five minutes.
“The fact that we had a 6-2 split probably came back to hurt us later in the game. We have to deal with these things and we weren’t quite good enough today. There was a lot of learning from the game and hopefully some of the young guys will be better for the experience.”
Cullen said that the discipline in the second half allowed the Bulls back into the game, but that it would be addressed.
“There were some moments in the second half, some discipline moments where guys came off the bench where they were trying too hard. They are trying to get back into the game and they give away penalties. And the big strength of the Bulls is when they get you into the corner and attack with a lineout drive. It’s trying to get that balance right between the effort part and being disciplined in what you do.
“Particularly away from home and unusual conditions for us. Overall we were pretty good but there is definitely learnings from the game.”
He also had some high praise for Will Connors, who was an easy man of the match winner from the home broadcaster. Cullen hinted that Marcell Coetzee’s presence may have spurred him on.
“Marcell would know him well from his time at Ulster. There was a game at Aviva stadium when Marcell was at the height of his powers at that stage and Will was really good at chopping him down. You saw that today, he was a very good chop tackler. He throws his body at everything and is unbelievably brave, a great character in the group and played a great 80 minutes out there today.”
The Leinster coach said that more Ireland internationals would join the side this week ahead of their match against the Sharks in Durban.
Brenden Nel
View 6 comments
Send Tip or Correction
Embed this post
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Email “Cullen disappointed but not dismayed after 'pretty good' Leinster performance in Pretoria”.
Recipient's Email
Feedback on “Cullen disappointed but not dismayed after 'pretty good' Leinster performance in Pretoria”.
Your Feedback
Your Email (optional)
Report a Comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment.
Please give full details of the problem with the comment...
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
before taking part.
Leave a Comment
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel.
Racism or Hate speech
An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs.
Trolling or Off-topic
An attempt to derail the discussion.
Inappropriate language
Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs.
Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts.
Please provide additional information
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
Leave a commentcancel
Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user
View our policy
⚠️ Duplicate comment
Post Comment
have your say
Or create a free account to join the discussion
fine margins
News in 60 seconds
Ulster come from behind to win late at bottom club Dragons
23 mins ago
Freeclassic
Connacht's fightback falls short in 12-try thriller with Ospreys
37 mins ago
FreeOn the up
0-12 for Bennett as Waterford overcome 14-man Offaly to seal promotion
Cork qualify for final, everything at stake for other 5 teams in last round
FreeWhat Ifs
'We don’t want to be noble losers' - Ireland lament missed opportunity against France
Leinster suffer first defeat of season as Bulls convert last-gasp scrum penalty
FreeTake a Bow
Mathieu van der Poel wins Milan-San Remo cycling classic
As it happened
Ireland v France, Women's Six Nations
Munster can't hold on as Glasgow snatch dramatic late win
Freesmall yet mighty
Pride for Kerry rugby club as local talents win Senior Schools medals with CBC and Blackrock
Leinster suffer first defeat of season as Bulls convert last-gasp scrum penalty
more from us
Investigates
Daft.ie Property Magazine
Allianz Home Magazine
The 42 Sports Magazine
Money Diaries
The Journal TV
Journal Media
Advertise With Us
About FactCheck
Our Network
FactCheck Knowledge Bank
Terms & Legal Notices
Terms of Use
Cookies & Privacy
Advertising
Competition
more from us
TV Listings
GAA Fixtures
The Video Review
Journal Media
Advertise With Us
Our Network
The Journal
FactCheck Knowledge Bank
Terms & Legal Notices
Terms of Use
Cookies & Privacy
Advertising
Competition
© 2025 Journal Media Ltd
Terms of Use
Cookies & Privacy
Advertising
Competition
Switch to Desktop
Switch to Mobile
The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie
Report an error, omission or problem:
Your Email (optional)
Create Email Alert
Create an email alert based on the current article
Email Address
One email every morning
As soon as new articles come online
Sign in or create
a free account
To continue reading create a free account
Or sign into an existing account
Related News
11 Mar, 2025
Maura Higgins 'in a bad way' after Danny . . .
23 Mar, 2025
Force snap Super losing streak with big . . .
21 Feb, 2025
Promoting National Reconciliation and Un . . .
26 Feb, 2025
IML 2025: Gurkeerat’s fifty guides India . . .
21 Mar, 2025
Watch: Raisina Dialogue | 5 key takeaway . . .
10 Mar, 2025
English-Ghanaian forward Callum Hudson-O . . .
15 Mar, 2025
Why does Gladiators BBC start late today . . .
30 Mar, 2025
Lando Norris calls out George Russell ov . . .