Cullen backs Leinster rotation policy

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen put in perspective the harsh realities facing teams as they try to not just stay the course but go the distance in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup.

There was a difficult-to-ignore brouhaha after the Bulls rested most of their squad for their Champions Cup quarterfinal against Northampton last week, but Cullen laid bare the complexities coaches face in spreading game time and keeping their squad energised.

Well-drilled Leinster usually transition seamlessly between their top operators and their second stringers, but on Saturday they came unstuck at Ellis Park as the Lions handed them a 44-12 defeat.

Cullen said no-one was about to crack the code on how to successfully rotate a squad from one week to the next across a marathon season.

“That is the challenge because you are dealing with the length of the season,” said Cullen. “You’ve got 18 regular season games, four Champions Cup games, there's four play-off games and if you want to win the URC you still have three knock-out games. It is a helluva lot of top-end games.

“Then you have a lot of guys in your squad who are also playing international rugby. That’s the thing, you need to be able to rely on the next person. It is certainly our belief,” said Cullen, who has 29 Test capped players in his squad.

Leinster routinely rotate their squad but their systems are so well honed that young, less experienced players usually step up to the mark when required to do so. When they rotate, it is by no means a sign of disrespect.

“This competition means a helluva lot to us,” said Cullen. “We've lost the past couple of semifinals but we won it the previous four years. It means something to us, just like the Champions Cup. We'd love to stay successful in both competitions. But it is an incredibly hard thing to do.

“You see it in other sports as well as teams are trying to juggle. In the Champions League and Premier League football teams are trying to manage that. It is hard going and particularly in rugby, a contact sport and its physical nature. I'm not sure anyone has the secrets but we are all searching for it.”

The defeat at Ellis Park, though perhaps flattering to the Lions, would have presented Leinster much to pore over before they settle on a team to play the Stormers this weekend.

“Everything is fluid. A lot of work has gone into getting us into the position we are,” Cullen said about their rotation policy. “We have to work hard to stay there and push on. A lot is made of squads and rotation and all the rest and everyone will have a different view.

“The model for us is we bring young players through the system. You've got to get them experienced. For the 18 URC games we have a core group. We'll make a few assessments, it was a good physical game and a few guys are banged up.

” It will be a tough challenge against the Stormers down there but that is the beauty of the competition. It is tough but our guys sometimes have to learn harsh lessons. They got a harsh lesson against the Lions.”