Cullen faces old foes and friends as he seeks to tame Tigers

Leinster head coach admits his stint at Welford Road helped ‘shape’ him and could be key to Champions Cup tie

- Luke McLaughlin

Leicester v Leinster fixtures have become common recently - the fifth since 2022 takes place tonight - but the history between the sides runs far deeper. Leo Cullen, head coach of the Dublin-based province, spent a couple of seasons at Welford Road in the mid-2000s, winning the Premiership in 2006-07 nd losing a Heineken Cup final against Wasps in the same season.

Since 2022 the former second-row has overseen four Champions Cup victories against his former club, including two in 2023-24. Three anda half years ago, there was masterful quarterfinal dismantling of what was then Steve Borthwick’s side. Leinster will now shoot for a hat-trick of Welford Road victories this decade, and the presence of the New Zealand international Rieko Ioane, on full debut, is sure to help.

The respect between the clubs was illustrated by Cullen in his pre-match media briefing: he opened by appealing for support for Lewis Moody after his former teammate was diagnosed recently with motor neurone disease.

Then he explained how his stay at Leicester had been formative.

“It was based on hard work,” he said. “There’s no secret to success, is there? Preparation and hard work playa huge part. That’s the bit that will always be with me. It was tough going but I loved my time there. Cockers [Richard Cockerill] was starting off on his [coaching] journey. He was a hard taskmaster and he had attention to detail.