Leicester v Leinster fixtures have become common recently – the fifth since 2022 takes place on Friday night – but the history between the sides runs far deeper. Leo Cullen, head coach of the Dublin-based province, spent a couple of seasons at Welford Road in the mid-2000s, winning the Premiership in 2006-07 and losing a Heineken Cup final against Wasps in the same season.
Since 2022 the former second‑row has overseen four Champions Cup victories against his former club, including two in 2023-24. Three and a half years ago, there was a masterful quarter-final dismantling of what was then Steve Borthwick’s side. Leinster will now shoot for a hat-trick of Welford Road victories this decade, and the presence of the New Zealand international Rieko Ioane, on full debut, is sure to help.
The respect between the clubs was illustrated by Cullen in his pre‑match media briefing: he opened by appealing for support for Lewis Moody after his former teammate was diagnosed recently with motor neurone disease. Then he explained how his stay at Leicester had been formative.
“It was based on hard work,” he said. “There’s no secret to success, is there? Preparation and hard work play a huge part. That’s the bit that will always be with me. It was tough going but I loved my time there. Cockers [Richard Cockerill] was starting off on his [coaching] journey. He was a hard taskmaster and he had attention to detail. There was great camaraderie, people coming together, an expectation with who you were representing. People used to queue outside, before the gates opened, to get their spot on the terrace.”
Since Leinster first won Europe’s top club competition under Michael Cheika – defeating none other than Leicester at Murrayfield in 2008-09 – expectation in Dublin has risen. They have won four titles but been runners-up four times, including a hat-trick of consecutive final defeats in 2022, 2023 and 2024. There is a growing feeling that another title is overdue, and pressure is something Cullen learned about at Leicester.
“There’s an expectation there, a positive expectation, a positive pressure,“ he says. “I loved it, couldn’t speak highly enough of it. Did it shape me? Yeah, it shaped me in many different ways.”
On Friday Cullen will go up against Geoff Parling, another Tigers playing alumnus, who joined Leicester as head coach during the summer after five years as Australia’s forwards coach. Cullen revealed that Parling visited Dublin last November, in his role with the Wallabies, to learn about Leinster’s coaching methods.
“He came in for a day and lo and behold, now look where he is – coaching against us,” Cullen said, laughing. “There’s always a bit of a risk they [visiting coaches] might find a bit too much information. We’ll know more at 10 o’clock on Friday night.”
Cullen added that Leicester’s game under Parling is based on “strong fundamentals … set piece, lineout, maul”. “They will kick a lot from No 9,” Cullen said. “Very strong aerial game. Both wingers, they’re quick fellas, and there’s plenty of commentary about that at the moment. We expect an aerial bombardment.”
Ioane, who has scored 38 tries in 88 All Blacks appearances, made his debut off the bench in the opening Champions Cup win against Harlequins last Saturday. He lines up at outside-centre alongside Robbie Henshaw at No 12. Tadhg Furlong and Rónan Kelleher return among seven changes made by Cullen, with Dan Sheehan’s presence on the bench demonstrating the squad’s depth and power. Joe McCarthy and James Ryan, winning his 99th cap for the province and back from suspension, pair up in the second row supported by a world-class back row of Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris.
Leicester are without the injured Ollie Chessum, as well as Emeka Ilione and Jack van Poortvliet, but are able to welcome back five Test players: England’s Freddie Steward, Joe Heyes and Jamie Blamire return alongside Tommy Reffell and Nicky Smith of Wales. Reffell, whose partner, Annabel, gave birth to a daughter, Nancy, this week, is captain. George Martin, whose impending departure to Saracens was announced this week, remains out with a shoulder injury.
The injured Chessum revealed he will soon need to find new motivation when facing the Leinster players he befriended on the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia. “I’d not come across a lot of the Irish boys before, and I got on very well with them,” Chessum said. “It was quite easy to motivate yourself by creating a narrative around what they’re like as people. Now I’ve met them, I know that’s not always the case.”
The Leinster contingent may wonder about the qualification of “always”, but strong new friendships have clearly formed among players on each side. This will be just another chapter in a historic, and largely friendly, rivalry.
