Leinster better prepared to win this season - Cullen

Leo Cullen isn't able to say whether or not Leinster are a better team compared to 12 months ago, but he does believe they're better prepared to challenge for a Heineken Champions Cup title.

It came as a surprise when the four-time champions were beaten in last year's semi-final by an inspired La Rochelle, Leinster having no answer for the sheer power and physicality of the French at Stade Marcel-Deflandre.

It's a defeat that has lingered around the team, but not necessarily in a bad way.

Roughly once a month this season that game gets mentioned, whether it's by a journalist, a player or a coach. As much as the winning feeling motivates, so too does the pain of defeat.

On paper, the current Leinster team looks a lot better than the one that was outmuscled in France a year ago; Johnny Sexton, Jamison Gibson-Park and Caelan Doris are all fit and available unlike last year's semi-final, while the switch of Andrew Porter to the loosehead side, the signing of Michael Ala'alatoa and the career-best form of Ross Molony have all added to the Leinster threat.

Interestingly, Cullen cites how the calendar has fallen together nicely for Leinster compared to last season, with the province having the luxury of rotating the squad a bit more in the last six weeks than they did a year ago.

"Off the back of the Six Nations, it's probably flowed a bit better in terms of trying to get that balance," he said, when asked if his side are a better team now compared to 2021.

"The week they had off after the Six Nations, that was important for that group whereas last year it was straight back into that final of the Pro14 against Munster which is challenging because you need to fill up the tank, to fill up the reserves of energy. And we’ve had a few of