Leo Cullen insists Leinster can still grow as European glory beckons

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen acknowledged there is still scope for growth within his side despite their convincing 40-17 Heineken Champions Cup semi-final win over Toulouse at the Aviva Stadium.

The defending champions had already knocked out two Irish provinces, Ulster and Munster, to reach the last four, outlasting the latter in a dramatic penalty shoot-out at the Dublin venue last week.

Antoine Dupont’s breakaway try edged Toulouse in front during the early stages of this heavyweight clash, but tries from James Lowe (two), Josh van der Flier and Hugo Keenan propelled Leinster into their first European final since 2019.

After watching his charges close out an impressive victory in which captain Johnny Sexton kicked 15 points, Cullen said: “Credit to the lads, there was lots of really good stuff in the game. They threw the kitchen sink at them, but Toulouse, they hung in and hung in.

“They’re always a constant threat. You can see that in the first half, where we’re attacking in their 22, we lose possession and they’re gone the length of the field (for Dupont’s score). That constant threat was there the whole time.

“For our guys, I thought it was a good performance overall. There’s still room for growth as always, but to deliver a big performance in a semi-final, it’s pleasing.”

No matter who Leinster face in the Champions Cup decider in Marseille on May 28th, they will find themselves up against familiar foes.

Racing 92 provided the opposition when Cullen’s men last tasted European glory in 2018, while La Rochelle defeated them at the semi-final stage last season.

Whereas Cullen’s former Ireland team-mate Ronan O’Gara coaches La Rochelle, another Irishman in Mike Prendergast is part of Racing’s coaching team. This