Cullen expecting physical encounter

RUGBY: LEINSTER v LEICESTER: Leo Cullen knows a bit about Leicester and he tells JOHNNY WATTERSONabout their likely tactics in tomorrow's quarter-final at the Aviva Stadium

LEICESTER, MOST people believe, will not arrive at the Aviva like Stade Francais might in pink Lycra and all the bells and whistles. They will bring no fashion accessories, blue sky thinking or revolutionary tactical philosophy. Leicester will arrive with shovels in their bags, their sleeves rolled up and the mentality that they can take more pain and inflict more suffering than the opposition. Leicester, many agree, will not complicate their game or over think their way towards a quarterfinal exit.

Coach Richard Cockerill will arrive with the old-school mentality as honed as it ever was when Martin Johnson was dispensing his effective brand of summary justice around Welford Road.

They will arrive prepared to firstly break and then grind Leinster before unleashing the Toby Floods of the side. In that there is little confusion and in that lies their great strength.

Leo Cullen, who spent two years with the English club, is no stranger to “Cockers” and the boys or the harsh regime employed to toughen up players in a city where it is claimed rugby pushes football into second place in profile and popularity.

“Their game is based on physicality,” says the Wicklow secondrow.

“That’s the way they prepare and try to live their lives day to day. It is reflected in their performance. It’s a tough environment over there. They tend to kick lumps out of each other when they train and they try to replicate that when they play, so we know it’s going to be a massive physical confrontation.”

Still smarting from a poor second half against Munster, Cullen points to the Leinster discipline of almost a week ago as “a major problem” and the team “dropping our standards”. But he delivers the solemn views with an air of a man who has addressed the issue and gone some distance towards sorting it out.

Munster, he allows, also possess some similarities to Leicester in the way they go about destroying teams, their emphasis on the set-piece and playing hard around the breakdown area. That aura of always making it difficult also accompanies Leicester.

“It’s all the contact area, they really target the contact areas. Play against Munster and you know you’re in for a tough day,” he says.

“They compete for everything, very aggressive when it comes to ball on the ground. They try to squeeze and choke the life out of you. Leicester are very similar.

“There’s some days Leicester might go out (to train) and say we’re doing 50 scrums here today. That mentality was there when I was there. It’s old school in many ways. It’s a massive emphasis on the basics. When you have the basics right and you are winning collisions, rugby can be quite an easy game.”

When Cullen was in Leicester “the classic pitbull” Cockerill was the forwards’ coach. As a player he was “irritating” to play against and as coach had “mood swings” depending on how the team performed. But the man reflects the team and Cockerill brings a side not just drilled in trench warfare but one also shaped by his own close attention to detail. Leicester hope to come to Dublin like a large English juggernaut rolling down Lansdowne Road, gaining momentum and impossible to stop.

“He actually pays great attention to detail and spends a lot of time working with players on the smallest details from every game,” says Cullen. “He’s a good tough, hard character. There is that Leicester way of wanting to be a tough, physically imposing type of player.

“That’s what he probably instils most in the team. He used to give the young guys a real hard time when we were there and give that little bit more leniency to the older guys around the place. He just tries to bring that tough edge that they want to try and portray when they go out and play.”

In a game played so closely Leinster may also have to learn how to play the referee as skilfully as they do the rules. Six years ago they would have arrived at the ground before knowing who was to blow the whistle. This week the foibles of the referee will be analysed as closely as the Leicester scrum and lineout. Anything under 10 penalties is a good day.

“We’ve had Nigel Owens a couple of times this year already,” says Cullen. “We’ve done our work and we know what he is particularly hot on. It’s a vital part of the game. It’s the same as analysing different players.

“Everyone has their little quirks and what they are particularly hot on and what they’re looking for. It’s a massive part of the game now. It’s about going for the margins, getting the edge wherever we can.”

With five wins each from 11 meetings, the margins, so far, are evenly split.