Leo Cullen: 'We just weren't at the races'
REACTION: Leinster coach Leo Cullen spoke of ‘disappointment’ and ‘hurt’ after his team suffered a sobering 0-35 whitewash at the hands of the Stormers at the weekend.
The Stormers delivered an impressive performance in the opening round of the United Rugby Championship in Cape Town this past Friday.
Leinster now head to Pretoria for a Round Two face-off with the Bulls and a chance for the defending champions to set the record sxtraight.
Leinster’s straight-talking coach Leo Cullen did not mince his words.
“We are hugely disappointed,” Cullen said.
“We haven’t conceded a score like that in quite a while,” he added.
“The guys were hurting inside the dressing room afterwards.
“We just weren’t at the races.
“We were really, really poor.
“We were very much second best in pretty much every department.
“Credit to the Stormers, I thought they were pretty outstanding.
“They were far better than us and much sharper in all the contact points.
“They put us under a huge amount of pressure, and we just didn’t manage it particularly well.
“We have come off a very successful season last year, and we have had a proper punch in the nose.”
And the Bulls might bear the brunt of the Leinster backlash.
“It’s how we respond now and get back on the horse,” Cullen said.
“We have to turn the page quickly into Bulls in Pretoria, which will be another serious challenge.
“We have to put in a much better performance there.
“It’s round one of 18, there’s a long way to go in this competition.
“I think we will get better as we progress through the weeks.”
