Leinster coach Leo Cullen wants his side to be more ruthless in closing out games following their 20-13 win over Ulster on Friday.
Cullen’s men held a strong 20-3 lead just after halftime but failed to add to the scoreboard as Ulster put together a surge late in the game.
Game should have been closed out
The coach believes the game should have been closed out early in the second half but is happy that his side got over the line despite a poor second stanza.
“The game could have been put to bed 10 minutes into the second half,” Cullen told RTE.
“There was lots of excellent stuff in the first half, set-piece, how we managed the game. We were really smart in terms of the way we attacked the game.
“Start of the second half, we’re 20-3 up and have a lineout five metres out – crooked throw, scrum, give away a penalty, Ulster relieve the pressure. They got the roll on a couple of times with their maul, we know it’s a strong part of their game.
“How we deal with high balls, we just gave Ulster access points back into the game. Then the crowd are into it, a bit more pressure on the referee, more decisions are going their way, then you’re under the pump.
“But to be fair to the lads they scrambled well. It was an unbelievable try-saving tackle by Charlie Ngatai in the corner, which just knocks a bit of the momentum.”
Cullen was pleased to have come away with an “ugly” win but knows their performances need to be better going forward.
“We’re excited for the season but we’ve got to put the building blocks in place,” said Cullen. “That’s coming away on a really ugly night, dogging out a win and getting four points. That’s not a bad outcome.
“There are lots of parts of our performance that could be a hell of a lot better but there was a lot of guys coming in for their first game of the season, and they were struggling. It’s not even the pace of the game, just the type of game it is, a very wet night, very difficult to catch some of the many high balls that were raining in on the back threes.”
Poor decision-making
Ulster’s Dan McFarland lamented his side’s decision-making at times in the clash, particularly regarding a quick lineout taken by his side that resulted in a Leinster penalty and a maul try.
“That was a big mistake, a big error that might come off against some sides but on the balance of probability, not against Leinster,” said McFarland.
“There might have been an opportunity to clear our lines if we played it quickly but it clearly wasn’t that. It ended up in a costly try for them.
“There were a couple of occasions in the first half where I feel we could have controlled the pitch a little better in our decision-making.
“There were also a couple of times where we chased really hard and put some real pressure on them. They didn’t make many mistakes in the first half and we did.”
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