Leinster have the star quality, have proven it, and can beat Bulls in the URC Grand final at Croke Park tonight. That’s the verdict of former Leinster and Ireland second-row Mike McCarthy who both played alongside and against Leo Cullen as a player and under him as a coach. The Blues record under his leadership should be dissed or undervalued. For Leinster to have got to six European finals in nine seasons is absolutely amazing. “But obviously the focus is now on the last five,
where they’ve come up short, sometimes agonisingly short, like the loss to Toulouse at Tottenham. “There have been such small margins and for this year’s defeat specifically, Bordeaux are a very strong team, you have to remember that. “Because of the success Leinster have enjoyed in the United Rugby Championship, there’s now that desperation to earn a fifth star.” Cullen is the man to deliver that next Champions Cup win too. “Leo Cullen is one of the most successful captains we’ve ever seen in club
rugby. He had a phenomenal playing career and brings all that experience into his coaching. “I was in my last year at Leinster when Leo transitioned into coaching, and he took to it like a duck to water, it was seamless. “I can only think how good a coach he must be now, with the amount of experience and resilience he will have built up across the years. “He has a great team around him too – Jacques Nienaber, a World Cup-winning coach; Robin McBryde
with the forwards. “They will hold themselves to incredibly high standards so they’ll be even more frustrated than the fans in many ways but if they keep knocking on the door, they’ll turn good and that fifth star will come.” McCarthy is, of course, seen to good effect ahead of Leinster games and it’s a labour of love but he is also heavily involved with thhe LooseHeadz charity which caters for “During my career, I was a competitor on the pitch – I always emptied
the tank. “Off it, I tried to have a bit of fun and a sense of humour, a laugh and a joke but I wasn’t always being myself – I was putting on a front, trying to be the person I thought the coach wanted me to be. “I’d tell anyone, don’t wait until things get really bad before you seek help. If you feel a chink in your armour, talk to someone and get the support you need. “LooseHeadz’s purpose is to allow anyone
within the rugby community to speak to their club, their friends or their family. “As a rugby player, you go to the gym to improve your speed, your strength, your power. It’s the same with your mental health – you have to embrace it and work on it.” **Mike McCarthy was speaking on behalf of rugby mental health charity LooseHeadz and LooseHeadz Roadshow. Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the top stories and biggest headlines from Ireland and beyond .
Leinster, Mike McCarthy, Leo Cullen, Bulls, URC Grand Final, Croke Park, Champions Cup, Toulouse, Bordeaux, LooseHeadz, mental health, Jacques Nienaber, Robin McBryde