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Irish Times
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Leo Cullen under scrutiny after Leinster loss to Northampton
No team has a divine right to win the Champions Cup , as Leinster know better than most. Maybe winning their first four finals in 10 years set the bar too high. Even so, in the aftermath of Saturday's 37-34 semi-final exit to Northampton, a return of one Champions Cup in 13 years seems poor for all the investment in the playing squad, facilities and coaches in that time. The final in Cardiff in three weeks on Saturday, May 24th, will be between Northampton and first-time finalists Bordeaux Bègles, with Joey Carbery playing the last 11 minutes in dethroning the six-time winners Toulouse, by winning Sunday's semi-final 35-18 in Bordeaux. That will be a hard watch for Leinster supporters, management and players alike. 'I can't, unfortunately, comment on how you get judged over a long period of time,' said Leo Cullen when the return of one European title in 13 years was put to him after his 10th Champions Cup campaign as head coach. Leinster vs Northampton – the comeback final revisited Listen | 35:17 'If you wind the clock a bit further back, if you asked us in 2009, in 16 years' time you'll have, what, four Champions Cups? In the previous 14 years we had doughnut. So, it depends again how far you go back with some of those questions. READ MORE 'We would have loved to have won more. If you ask every team in the competition, they would have loved to have won more but we know how bloody hard it is to do it. We understand the pain that we're in at the moment. It's a horrible feeling for everyone in there, I can assure you. But what do we do? Dust ourselves off and go again.' Cullen has often cited how the Leinster/Irish model operates in contrast to the French and English clubs, who are backed by wealthy benefactors, although Leinster cannot really play the poor mouth. The playing budgets of Northampton and the other Premiership clubs are capped at €7.2 million, while the salary cap in the Top 14 is, in theory, €10.7 million. Leinster head coach Leo Cullen Cullen disputed the latest claims in the French and English media that the province's annual players' budget is € Leinster's budget is swollen by 11 players under central IRFU contracts, their annual wage bill is unknown. Most likely it is around the €12-14 million mark, but in any event, Cullen disputed the latest claims in the French and English media that Leinster's annual players' budget is €17 million. 'It is wild. That's miles off,' maintained Cullen. 'Unfortunately, people can write whatever they want. As we know, the system here is a little more complex than in other countries but we don't have a published salary cap. I don't think it's a conversation for this moment in time. I've seen some of those figures and they're just not accurate. How do you correct people who write things that aren't true in the current media?' Coming up short again hurts all the more after investing in a dual World Cup-winning defensive coach, a renowned French scrummaging prop, a two-time World Cup winning lock and a world-class, 68-times capped All Black utility back. But as well as the debatable decision to leave Jordie Barrett on the bench for the first 50 minutes after his man-of-the-match display in the quarter-finals, a defence which had kept two attack-orientated sides scoreless in their previous two knock-out ties was clinically dissected. A delighted Joey Carbery with his son after his side, Bordeaux Bègles, beat Toulouse in the Champions Cup semi–final. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho 'There will be a bit of head scratching there in terms of some of our mentality around defence and were we really clued in enough for some of the threats Northampton have,' admitted Cullen. 'We've seen them attack. The players have seen them, they know, but that's a big score to concede in a play-off game.' Cullen and Jacques Nienaber are both under contract next season and for all the disgruntlement among Leinster supporters, both will assuredly be in situ next season. A little taken aback by being asked if he was the right man to one day take Leinster to that cherished fifth star, Cullen responded with increasing defiance. 'Yeah, I think I am. Yeah. I believe that I am, yes. I think we've worked hard to try and improve the group year on year on year and I think the group is very strong right now. That's not something that's just created last week; it's year on year. Bottoms up? Exposed in a maul during the Champions Cup semi–final between Leinster and Northampton. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho 'We've lost three finals over the last three years, but I believe we've a stronger group now than we've had and that's the way I will continue to approach the day-to-day in preparing the short term, medium term, long term. So, yes. And I'm very committed to that as well.' If there was any complacency in this semi-final after 62-0 and 52-0 wins in the previous rounds, it could only have been compounded by leaving Barrett on an all-international bench boasting 358 caps, as against Northampton's seven. 'I will look back on lots of different things, over the course of the next few weeks,' said Cullen. 'And, yes, when you don't win a game, particularly in a semi-final, everyone is going to second-guess everything. 'Jordie brought huge impact, and that is what we wanted from him. Similar with Jack Conan, as well, and a lot of other players that were on the bench. You look at us at the end of the game, we looked like a strong team, attacking the game. There's probably bits before where we weren't quite accurate enough. But I don't have regrets about that plan, specifically.'
Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Toulouse's rich culture enhances aura that makes them envy of Europe
Toulouse's Investec Champions Cup semi-final away against Bordeaux Bègles on Sunday promises to be a titanic match. Toulouse, the defending champions, are up against it. Antoine Dupont will be watching from the stands, too far from the action for even the world's best player to influence proceedings. Peato Mauvaka and Blair Kinghorn are also injured, along with their metronomic kicker, Thomas Ramos. And to cap it all, Bordeaux have home advantage; statistically that final point counts for a great deal in France. The absent Ramos had a poor day with the boot in the 21-18 quarter-final win away against Toulon, in which his team squeezed through with the final kick. It was an average game in terms of quality, yet an epic occasion —
Irish Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Bordeaux Bègles thrash injury-ravaged Toulouse to reach Champions Cup final
Champions Cup semi-final: Bordeaux Bègles 35 Toulouse 18 Louis Bielle-Biarrey's stunning try highlighted Bordeaux-Bègles' 35-18 win over Top 14 rivals Toulouse as they set up a Champions Cup final meeting with Northampton. Bordeaux had raced into a 10-0 lead with a try from Pete Samu and a Matthieu Jalibert penalty, but Toulouse edged 11-10 up with a pair of Juan Cruz Mallia penalties either side of Dimitri Delibes's try. But Bielle-Biarrey then lit up the Matmut Atlantique with a moment of brilliance, somersaulting his way over the line after Romain Buros had burst through the Toulouse defence. When the 21-year-old France wing scored a second just 19 seconds into the second half, Jalibert converted for a 25-11 lead but Pierre-Louis Barassi capitalised on a visit to the sin bin for Marko Gazzotti to pull one back for Toulouse and inject some nerves into the finale. READ MORE Pierre Bochaton powered over for a fourth Bordeaux try in the 64th minute and Ben Tameifuna added a late fifth to put Bordeaux into their first Champions Cup final, to be played in Cardiff on May 24th. Toulouse were unbeaten since losing in the 2023 semi-finals to Leinster but with Antoine Dupont, Blair Kinghorn, Thomas Ramos and Peato Mauvaka all injured, they suffered their first defeat against their opponents in a knock-out match. 'They had a 10-minute spell of domination and we did not crack. We're so happy to qualify in front of our fans as we've been through very tough moments,' said Jalibert, referring to Toulouse's 59-3 win against Bordeaux-Bègles in the Top 14 final last season. Bordeaux also lost Damian Penaud through a knee injury and the France winger was in tears after the final whistle. SCORERS – Bordeaux Bègles: Bielle-Biarrey 2 tries; Samu, Bochaton, Tameifuna try each; Jalibert pen, 2 cons; Lucu pen; Toulouse: Delibes, Barassi try each; Mallia 2 pens, con. BORDEAUX BÈGLES: R Buros; D Penaud, N Depoortere, Y Moefana, L Bielle-Biarrey; M Jalibert, M Lucu; J Poirot, M Lamothe, S Falatea; A Coleman, C Cazeaux; M Diaby, G Petti, P Samu. Replacements: P Bochaton for Coleman (28 mins); M Gazzotti for Diaby (40); M Perchaud for Poirot (52); B Tameifuna for Falatea (53); A Retiere for Penaud (56); B Vergnes-Taillefer for Samu (59); J Carbery for Jalibert, C Sa for Lamothe (both 69). Sin Bin: Gazzotti (53). TOULOUSE: J-C Mallia; A Capuozzo, P-L Barassi, P Ahki, D Delibes; R Ntamack, P Graou; C Baille, J Marchand, D Aldegheri; T Flament, E Meafou; F Cros, J Willis, A Roumat. Replacements: R Neti for Baille, J Merkler for Aldegheri, A Jelonch for Roumat (all 48 mins); S Chocobares for Delibes (59); G Cramont for Marchand, C Verge for Meafour, Saito for Graou, Castro M Castro-Ferreira for Willis (all 64). Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU).
Associated Press
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Records could tumble as try-hungry France chases Six Nations title against Scotland
PARIS (AP) — France enters the Six Nations finale against Scotland with the title at stake and a host of records up for grabs at Stade de France on Saturday. Prolific wingers Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud eye record-breaking tries, and kicker Thomas Ramos will aim to convert as many as possible for a France side which has its mojo back after a painful defeat to England. But beating England's points difference record from 2001 is a long shot, even more so without injured scrumhalf Antoine Dupont. Here's a look at the records that could be broken: Catch him if you can Bielle-Biarrey's scorching pace down the left wing has helped him to seven tries in four matches. The 21-year-old needs two more against Scotland to become the record-holder in the tournament's 142-year history. The record is eight by England's Cyril Lowe in 1914 and Scotland's Ian Smith in 1925 when the tournament was the Five Nations. Bielle-Biarrey burst onto the scene at the 2023 Rugby World Cup where, instead of studying for university mid-term exams, he became France's youngest World Cup player at 20 years, 87 days. He has scored in a French record seven consecutive tests, and has 17 international tries from 18 tests. Will Penaud overtake Blanco? Right winger Damian Penaud — who also plays with Bielle-Biarrey at Bordeaux Bègles — needs one try to overtake Serge Blanco and stand alone as France's all-time top men's try-scorer. They are on 38. Penaud probably would have got there by now but he missed the 43-point rout of Wales because of a toe injury, and the 73-point rout in Italy after being dropped following his below-par match in the defeat to England. Penaud has 38 in 55 games compared to 93 games for Blanco, who was also a decent kicker. Blanco slotted 22 penalties, six conversions and two drop goals as one of the game's greatest fullbacks. Vincent Clerc, who has become a matchday pundit, was third on France's list with 34 tries followed by fellow winger Philippe Saint-André (32) and standout center Philippe Sella (30). Ramos has Michalak in sight Ramos is also a skilful fullback and a strong runner but he's better known for the dead-eye accuracy of his kicking. He leads the tournament with 51 points. Two penalties and a conversion against Scotland will be enough to make him France's all-time leading point-scorer because he needs only seven points. Ramos is six behind silky flyhalf Frédéric Michalak's total of 436 points. Versatile back Christophe Lamaison (380) is third overall and scrumhalf Dimitri Yachvili (373) is fourth in the French scoring charts. Given that Ramos is aged 29, he potentially has many years left to move well clear of everyone. French try-machine rolls on France has crossed for 26 tries in four matches — its most in a single tournament — and needs four against the Scots to break England's record from 2001. Coach Fabien Galthié's side began the tournament by swarming all over hapless Wales 43-0 with seven tries at Stade de France. France lost away to England 26-25 at the death in a match riddled with clumsy handling errors that cost at least three tries. The French bounced back in style with 11 tries in a record-high 73-24 thrashing of Italy at Stadio Olimpico. 42-27 win despite playing for 50 minutes without its superstar Dupont. Can France overtake England? Led by flyhalf great Jonny Wilkinson, England won the 2001 title with a whopping points difference of +149, and that includes losing the last game to Ireland. France has a positive difference of 106, meaning it needs to hammer the Scots by a 44-point margin on Saturday. A record-breaking victory would be the perfect way for France to clinch its first title since 2022. ___
