Leo Cullen's hilarious reaction to being asked about 'Leo' chants at final
Chants of 'Leo, Leo, Leo' rang around Croke Park during and after Leinster's URC final victory over the Bulls.
And Leinster head coach Leo Cullen exploded with laughter when he was asked by a South African journalist about his emotions on hearing his name being chanted by the record crowd for an Irish final.
"Ha ha, that was for Leo the Lion," exclaimed Cullen."Just to say I don't want to take the credit here!
"One of my memories when I came back from England, I was playing in England between 2005 and 2007, Leinster wasn't a happy place back in those days.
"But I remember playing in the RDS in 2007 and we were defending a lineout and I could hear the crowd go, 'Leo, Leo!' and I was thinking 'this crowd love me' and then in the corner of my eye I could see the lion doing a dance, and I was like, 'Ahh good luck'.
"But Leo the Lion did a great job!"
After the official URC trophy presentation on the Croke Park pitch, a contingent of the playing group walked up the Hogan Stand steps where skipper Jack Conan lifted the trophy again in the traditional spot that many a GAA captain has done the same.
Asked who came up with the idea, Conan replied: 'I have absolutely no idea.
"Marcus O'Buachalla (Leinster media manager), he needs a shout out at least once a week!
'I was conscious of the lads trying to lift up my shirt and making an absolute mug of me so I was tucking that in.
'Look, to be on the Hogan Stand to lift a trophy with all your mates, family, loved ones, it's incredibly special and something that will live long in the memory.
'I had a few words as Gaeilge but I was told my pronunciation was all over the place, so they told me not to do it! I don't think they wanted me to do a speech, I was told less is more!"
Conan described the victory as "incredibly special", adding: "It's not something you could ever dream of when you were growing up or even in the last few years because obviously it has been long since we had played here as a club.
'So, it's not something that was ever on your radar but it's just fantastic. I know it wasn't full today but there were 46-odd thousand people and we could feel every single one of them.
'We could hear their voices and they got behind us. They stayed after the final whistle for us to do a lap.
"One of the big reasons we do what we do is to give back to the people who come to support us through the good days and the bad days.
'It's incredibly pertinent that we give them something to celebrate. I think everyone is just elated."
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