Leinster`s head coach, Leo Cullen, delivered a candid and critical assessment of his team`s significant defeat to the Stormers in the opening round of the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Cullen expressed profound disappointment, noting, “We are incredibly disappointed. We haven`t conceded that many points in a long time. The lads in the changing room after the match were mentally destroyed. We simply didn`t turn up for the game. We were very, very weak across all aspects of play, falling short of our opponents.”
The coach also extended credit to the Stormers for their dominant performance. “I want to give credit to the Stormers; they were magnificent,” Cullen stated. “They were much better than us and sharper in every contest. They exerted immense pressure on us, and we completely failed to cope with it.”
Despite the Stormers` control throughout the match, they only held a 6-0 lead at halftime. However, in a strong second-half display, tries from Stefan Ungerer, Evan Roos, Ruan Ackermann, and Duuri Matthis secured a crucial bonus-point victory for the home side.
