Copyright the42
League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Leo Cullen.Laszlo Geczo/INPHO Freebreathing space 'We have two wins from five games - That’s not what we set out to achieve' Leo Cullen says Leinster will take some time to reflect on their opening block of URC fixtures. 6.01am, 27 Oct 2025 Share options LEO CULLEN HAS said Leinster will take some time to reflect after their opening block of fixtures in the 2025-26 season ended with a bonus point triumph over Zebre Parma at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. After losing three of their opening four games in the competition – back-to-back reversals to the Stormers and the Bulls on a mini tour of South Africa and a comprehensive defeat to arch rivals Munster in Croke Park – defending champions Leinster moved up to seventh in the United Rugby Championship table with the help of a 50-26 victory against their Italian counterparts in Irish Rugby HQ. The eastern province will now have an extended break before returning to competitive fare with an away trip to Dragons in the URC on 28 November. This will be the first of 10 games in the space of just 64 days for Cullen’s men with four European Champions Cup fixtures and a quartet of interprovincial clashes also forming part of a hectic schedule. “We need to pause, just review what has happened in the first five games. Could we have done things differently because we’ve two wins from five games. That’s not what we set out to achieve,” Cullen remarked after the game. “We need to reflect on that and do I need to do things differently, how I message the group? How we set the group up because we’re in the middle of the pack of the table. Advertisement “It’s bit of a time to reflect now and how do we get better for this next block of games. Because we need to really attack the block of games, what’s coming up. There is a break before that, so a bit of reflection time.” Due to the presence of 22 players from his senior squad in the Ireland set-up for their upcoming November internationals, Cullen selected a largely experimental side on Saturday. Alongside more experienced faces such as Luke McGrath, Harry Byrne and Scott Penny, there were no fewer than six debutants in the Leinster match day 23. Just two of those were handed spots in the starting 15 – try-scorer Jerry Cahir and full-back Hugo McLaughlin. A former student at Gonzaga College in Dublin, McLaughlin showed some nice touches during the game and released Joshua Kenny for a try with just 70 seconds gone on the clock. As the game wore on and Leinster started to create a safe distance between themselves and Zebre, Cullen also introduced Bobby Sheehan, Alex Usanov, Ciaran Mangan and Caspar Gabriel off the bench for their own debut appearances. “Hugo is great. He was away with us in South Africa and again, we talk about the South Africa trip and not getting positive outcomes really. One of the positives of the trip is Hugo is away with the group, Jerry Cahir was away with the group,” Cullen said. “All those young guys, they’re fronting up well. They’re early in the journey of being a professional and hopefully they kick on and go well now.” Over the course of his post-match press conference at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, Cullen was also asked for his thoughts on the 20-minute red cards that were handed out to Leinster’s Andrew Osborne and Zebre scrum-half Thomas Dominguez. A notable feature of the Six Nations Championship earlier this year, the global World Rugby trial of the 20-minute red card law has been adopted by the United Rugby Championship for the current season. Osborne was initially yellow carded for tackling Zebre full-back Lorenzo Pani in the air on 29 minutes before it was subsequently upgraded to red following an off-field review. Dominguez suffered the same fate for his challenge on Leinster back-row James Culhane and Cullen acknowledged he will be looking for some clarity on how the match officials reached these decisions on the night. “I’m curious now to get the actual official line. I don’t have clarity in my mind, but I’ll be asking the question from the referee’s point for the both of them. Because they’re both very, very different, aren’t they?” Cullen added. “Andrew is in the air, he makes contact. Is that a red card, I’m not quite sure to tell you the truth. The other one, James obviously has taken a bit of a knock. There’s a few things during the game, but I’ll ask the question like I normally do and try to get a bit of clarity. “I know there was a good bit of time spent on the 20-minute red card leading into the season, so I’ll find out and try to get clarity. I don’t know is the honest answer, but we’ll try and figure it out.” Daire Walsh Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'We have two wins from five games - That’s not what we set out to achieve' ”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'We have two wins from five games - That’s not what we set out to achieve' ”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion breathing space News in 60 seconds Making waves Meet the Irishman working with European football's tactical trailblazers Gavin Cooney 54 mins ago FreeMarathon Girl Months after running her first ever marathon, this teenager claimed the Irish title in Dublin FreeDriving Seat Lando Norris takes drivers’ championship lead after commanding victory in Mexico FreeEuro zone Parrott scores twice in another AZ win, Ferguson unused in Roma victory Saquon Barkley leads Philadelphia Eagles to rout of New York Giants Play Off Push Carla Ward's balancing act as Ireland brace for Belgium reaction Club finals: Madden the emotional winners in Armagh, Monaghan's Scotstown go three-in-a-row Angry scenes as Shelbourne seal Europe with stunning comeback against Bohemians David Sneyd reports from Dalymount Park Ireland's back row and midfield calls intriguing as Farrell plots in Chicago Dublin marathon 2025 Daniel Mesfin and Eebbissee Addunyaa win Dublin marathon Brilliant Achievement In pics: Shamrock Rovers boss Bradley among the participants at Dublin City marathon more from us Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account
