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'I just find that so frustrating and ignorant' - Williams debunks Cullen myth

Leo Cullen /PA

Rugby pundit Matt Williams has decried the ‘ridiculous fallacy’ around Leinster head coach Leo Cullen, who he rates as one of the best indigenous Irish coaches of the professional era.

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Leinster hammered Bath 64 – 7 in another masterful Heineken Champions Cup performance, a result which could see them through to next round despite the fact that were forced to ship a 28 – 0 loss on paper after their second round clash with Montpellier was cancelled by the EPCR.

Leinster are on fire again in Europe and the bookies have made them favorites for the competition, ahead of fellow European heavyweights Toulouse, Racing 92 and La Rochelle.

Yet despite their triumphs, the soft-spoken Cullen remains a relatively uncelebrated figure despite being the top dog in arguably Ireland’s most successful sporting franchise.

Former Scotland coach turned commentator Williams suggested there’s a perception that the Cullen regime at the province is coat-tailing on the coaching of Stuart Lancaster – an idea he describes as ‘ignorant’.

“He is probably the most outstanding indigenous Irish coach of the professional era as far as results go, cups and trophies in cabinets,” Cullen said on Virgin Sport. “There is this ridiculous fallacy that he sits up in his office drinking coffee and Stuart [Lancaster] does all the coaching. I just find that so frustrating and ignorant.”

Cullen, who won 221 caps for Leinster and was captain of three Heineken Cup-winning squads, took over as head coach at the start of the 2015/16 season, a period in which the province won four Pro14s and a Heineken Champions Cup.

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“He pulls that coaching team together to win games. He has got his own style of doing that. To think that Leo doesn’t know what is going on or someone else is running it, that’s just plain ignorance.

“There are a whole load of ways to coach. Rod Macqueen and Ian McGeechan, they weren’t technically on the field doing it, they had other like Jim Telford doing all the technical work for McGeechan.

“There are a whole lot of ways up the mountain. He has taken that team in a way up the mountain that is quite brilliant. He deserves a lot more praise from the Irish public.”

Cullen signed a one-year rolling contract extension last March. Leinster chief executive Mick Dawson confirmed the club had offered Cullen a two-year deal, which he did not take up for personal reasons.

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Upnorth-taniwha 54 minutes ago
New Zealanders may not understand, but in France Test rugby is the 'B movie'

So with all that's been said, France sending a b team, top 14 so strong, we support ab’s, they support top 14 and WC and six nations. It is what it is, but do you think that the results of this tour have matched the outcry? Like the first test against a so called b side? Yes we won, just. The second test was better, but against a lesser team apparently. And the third test we will experiment, to a degree. But we are still not thrashing them. One would expect if the teams they are sending are so bad, then why aren't we holding them scoreless and why aren't we putting 50-60 points on them every week? We put all our emphasis on international rugby, yet the show isn't what one would think it would be considering all the facts. I don't know, but I was really expecting the ABS to come out in the first test and show France how pissed off they were that they had sent a mediocre test team. Send them home thrashed and with their Tails between there legs, but I don't know. I think they would go home confident that even if they put the b side in, they can compete against a power house AB team. Not good for us, more so for them. As we all know, the mental side of international rugby is huge. Players confidence can set there path for their careers. So I think it was a perfect chance to absolutely dent the confidence of these up and comers, so when they faced us again in the future, they wouldnt be so keen! And if the ABs had really smashed this team and any other team that done the same, then it would be a message to all international sides. That if you do so, you do so at your own risk and at the expense of the growth of your players going forwards. I get what everyone is saying in regards to all the other stuff. Yes we have a lot to work on. But firstly we need to win, and win big. Otherwise these complaints of b sides, look rather silly. Yes we are 2 nil up. The second test against a much weeker side was better-ish. But C'mon, if they want to send b sides, we should treat them like that, and really be smashing them. Confidence in any player, can be changed for the entirety of their careers. Maybe if we did this, they would realise the effects and send stronger teams. But I don't think that so far this series, any player would feel like they wouldn't want another go at the ABs and can face up to them. Just a thought

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