Those comments were discussed by Gavan Casey, Murray Kinsella and Bernard Jackman on today\u2019s podcast.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was very wilful from him,\u201d Kinsella said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got this family background in PR, he knows the game, he\u2019s not an idiot. If he says something like that, it\u2019s rare, but it\u2019s definitely got a purpose behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI personally don\u2019t think it was just him losing the plot. And, yeah, he\u2019s obviously under big pressure, but I still think there\u2019s a strategic element to it probably. I\u2019m not sure exactly what, I have a few different theories around it, but he\u2019s not just coming in there and popping off because he was stressed. He was stressed definitely. I mean, you can see him in the coaching box when Toulon made that break, I\u2019d say it is a horrible moment where everyone else\u2019s hearts are in their mouths.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely think it was pre-planned,\u201d Jackman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very South African, as in it was very Rassie (Erasmus). And it\u00a0was very GAA. Declan Darcy, who\u2019s there as performance coach for four years, I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if he is some way involved in this.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think any of those lads (the media) have really gone after Leinster at all. Maybe Leo perceives it, or maybe he just wants to create a narrative, and he\u2019s absolutely entitled to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI genuinely don\u2019t think it\u2019s actually fair,\u201d Jackman added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI genuinely don\u2019t think the media have been really hard on Leinster. Like, they lost last weekend to Treviso, so did he want us to roll out the red carpet?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Leinster were unbeaten this season and he was being criticised, I would understand, even though we have a choice whether we like that style of play or not, we can always debate that as pundits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other thing I would argue and say is the juggernaut stuff, Leinster are a juggernaut. Leo can try and play the poor mouth, but he knows, well I hope he does, but the reality is I think the four juggernauts in the European Cup this year, pre-tournament,\u00a0were Bath, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Leinster. La Rochelle are in transition. Toulon are in transition. Northampton are a very good young side, but they don\u2019t have the squad depth, they don\u2019t spend as much money as Bath.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Leinster have gone toe-to-toe with the juggernauts, absolutely, but they should be going toe-to-toe with them. And loads of Leinster fans believe Leo, that they\u2019re underdogs, and that they\u2019re not the same level, and that\u2019s absolutely brilliant. Everyone\u2019s entitled to their opinion, but we also can decide whether we agree with or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
In discussing the coverage of last year\u2019s Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints, Cullen pointed to a questionable turnover penalty won by Henry Pollock in the closing stages under the Saints\u2019 post, as well as a potential penalty try for Leinster when Alex Coles stripped the ball illegally from Josh van der Flier.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think that the referee cost Leinster the match against Northampton last year,\u201d Jackman said.<\/p>\n
![\"hugo-keenan-looks-dejected-after-the-game\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778040917_386_.jpeg\")
\n Leinster were stunned Billy Stickland \/ INPHO<\/p>\n
Billy Stickland \/ INPHO \/ INPHO\n<\/p>\n
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\u201cHonestly, and having watched it back four or five times, I thought it was a master game plan from Northampton that executed incredibly well, and Leinster also made errors in terms of selection and in terms of execution. So that\u2019s it. And in the end it could have went either way, sure, but I thought Leinster being at home in Croke Park and the advantage that has, I certainly couldn\u2019t come out and go, \u2018What an achievement, Leinster losing to Northampton\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201dThe siege mentality worked brilliantly for them around the URC (last season),\u201d Kinsella added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really suited them. Joe McCarty, didn\u2019t he say, \u2018We know you guys hate us\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s definitely how they\u2019re going to frame this. The bookies have Bordeaux as seven-point favourites. Everyone\u2019s been raving about Bordeaux and their brilliant play.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know Leinster are going to build that mentality of no one thinks we can win this, everyone\u2019s written us off, the media hate us. And that works. It\u2019s simple human psychology, it works really well. So I would say that this is part of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d say some players will see through that, but let\u2019s not forget there are players who\u2019ve had a little snipe as well. (Dan) Sheehan in a few times, and well within his rights, that people write them off, or people don\u2019t want us to succeed. I\u2019m paraphrasing, but he\u2019s definitely said that a few times with Ireland and Leinster, and McCarthy, we have him on the record as saying that.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it does help. It\u2019s a great position for Leinster to be in. Like, the way people are talking about Bordeaux is that this is an absolute juggernaut which is unbeatable, just give the ball to Louis Bielle-Biarrey, and listen, maybe it\u2019ll work out that way if Leinster are loose, but I think they have a cracking chance of beating them in the final if all those excellent players that Leinster have, that brilliant squad they have, if they turn up on the occasion in Bilbao with that nice bit of history behind them as well, and they don\u2019t have that flurry of indiscipline, or they don\u2019t switch off for a few minutes at the end, they have a great chance of beating them.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I think his comments were highly entertaining, and it\u2019s been a great discussion point, but I think it\u2019s transparent enough, and Cullen knows that as well.\u201d<\/p>\n