True leader who puts welfare of team first

RUGBY HEINEKEN CUP QUARTER-FINALS:Leo Cullen may find it hard to recognise the qualities that have landed him the captain's role in the side, but coaches and team-mates have no doubts, writes JOHN O'SULLIVAN

LEO CULLEN can’t explain why others view him as the embodiment of an ideal captain on the rugby pitch. There can be no accusations of coincidence or good fortune because he’s worn the stripes from his underage representative days through to his current footing as Leinster’s leader. He’s captained most teams on which he’s played, much to his bemusement.

There’s not a trace of pseudo modesty. At school he followed; Barry Gibney was an outstanding footballer and captain that led Blackrock College, Leinster and Ireland Schools, cutting a swathe through opponents domestically and internationally before injury tragically cut short his career at 20.

Cullen would also point to another member of those teams, hooker Peter Smyth, who as an orator and leader would have rivalled Gibney. It’s hardly a surprise to learn that both are now accomplished coaches.

The man who leads Leinster against Harlequins in their Heineken Cup quarter-final at the Stoop may not recognise his own qualities but coaches and team-mates do.

When Brian O’Driscoll elected to step down as Leinster captain, the players voted in Cullen as his successor. It didn’t matter that the 31-year-old secondrow had spent a two-year playing sabbatical at the Leicester Tigers – his standing at Welford Road was such that he captained the English club on 15 occasions – before returning to his spiritual home.

It merely encapsulated his standing amongst his peers. He’s not given to Churchillian exhortations. His playing style possibly offers an insight into his leadership. There’s an integrity of endeavour, an honesty in attending to and discharging the less glamorous duties of a forward: Cullen hits rucks, makes tackles, grafts assiduously on behalf of his team. His talents are not enshrined by the mundane but the welfare of the team would appear to be given first consideration.

It’s an attitude that earns the respect of team-mates and coaches.

Cullen, the perennial captain, shrugs in trying to explain why. “I would be a quiet person. I don’t know why people get me to do it (be captain). I don’t think I change a huge amount in terms of my personality in being captain or not being captain of a team.

“Professional teams tend to have leaders in different areas. It (the captaincy) is just letting people get on with their jobs. I don’t say a huge amount. The team does tend to run itself and it is just a case of having that structure in place to facilitate players concentrating on their own game.

“Getting the job last summer after captaining Leinster a couple of times the last year . . . I would classify it as quite an honour to be asked in the first place. Leinster, even though I was away for a few years, has been a big part of my life.”

The other tag which puzzles Cullen is conferring the mantle of lineout guru on his shoulders, a dark art that fascinates media and supporters. The Wicklow native is quick to demystify the process.

“Most secondrows have to put in so much time in terms of the lineout because it is such a big part of the game.

“Most teams will have a lineout caller. I fall into that category here (in Leinster). If the lineout goes badly then you’ll get slated; if it goes well then you’ll get a bit of praise. Everyone works hard, the coaching team as well. There is no secret to running a successful lineout; it’s all about working hard.”

So what does he make of Harlequins set piece? “They have a lot of tricks at lineout time, some based on Danny Care at scrumhalf, who is strong and quick. They have a number of moves that are designed to get him into the game.

“Nick Easter is a very clever backrower and he runs good lines. I would describe their set piece as very efficient.”

Cullen is equally taken with their scrum, saluting the contribution of ‘Quins’ Cork-born tighthead Mike Ross. “If you are not on your game they will push you around. They’ll take you on in every single scrum so you have to concentrate hard and make sure you’re tuned in all the time.

“Look at what they did to Bath on their own patch: they pushed them about and bullied them at the breakdown. You see the intensity with which they scramble defensively and if a team makes a burst against them, they get big numbers to the breakdown.”

Video analysis has confirmed how dangerous Harlequins are, particularly in terms of the speed, they possesses in all areas of the pitch. Leinster must negate that threat while at the same time juggling their ambition to try and impose their own patterns. The Irish province would have adopted a similar philosophy against Munster last weekend but as Cullen accepts were let down by the accuracy of their endeavour.

“It comes down to the same things in every game, who’s winning the collisions, who wins the battle of the breakdown. If you win those things and you are secure in your own set piece then you’ll be hard to beat. When you are playing away from home you have to have a bit of a siege mentality.

“We talked about it a bit last week (against Munster). When it came down to it we weren’t clinical enough in different aspects of the game. In trying to impose the pace we wanted to on the game we never really got a handle on achieving that and Munster controlled the game a lot better, taking their chances whereas we didn’t.

“It’s a similar task at the weekend. You might get two or three chances in a match and you have to take them. Looking back on the season so far, we have had some good away wins but it’s about 80 minutes and nothing less. We haven’t managed that yet this season. We’ve been very good at times but not for the duration of a match.”

Sunday presents an opportunity for Cullen a close-up view of a childhood idol, Harlequins coach and former Leicester and England icon, Dean Richards. The dog eared analogy is that the one time city slickers, Harlequins have been completely transformed into a manifestation of the man who guides them.

Cullen agrees: “Dean’s a quiet unassuming guy who has had a good record every where he has been. Any team coached by him will be competitive, an extension of him as a player. He was one of my rugby idols as a child.

“He might not have been the most diligent trainer in the world but he brought stature and presence to his game. He still has that, an aura about him. There are only so many players who carry that through with them for their lives.

“The team has a terrific work ethic on the pitch a spirit and camaraderie that’s obvious to see. He would have worked hard to instil that and the reward is what they are achieving this season.”

On a personal level Cullen would love to exorcise the memories of what has been a frustrating season to date, fractured by injury, by winning tomorrow. That would force him to look forward rather than back and would constitute a fitting reward for the hard work he put in during the Six Nations Championship to rehabilitate in time to play a meaningful role in European fare.

Conscientious, hard working, single-minded; Cullen’s core qualities but undeniably important assets at the Stoop tomorrow from a team perspective if Leinster are to prevail.

Leo Cullen

Club:Blackrock College.

School:Blackrock College.

Ireland caps:19.

Leinster A caps:5.

Ireland A caps:17 (captain v England in 2006/'07).

Ireland Under-21 caps:16 (14 as captain).

Leinster Under-20 caps:7.

Ireland Under-19 caps:4 (3 as captain).

Ireland Schools caps:7.

Leinster Schools caps:3 (Also played in all eight games on 1995/'96 Australia tour).

Leicester appearances:56 (15 as captain).

Leicester Heineken Cup appearances:12.