Cullen says red card was 'huge advantage'

Leinster coach Leo Cullen says his side were handed "a huge advantage" by Montpellier fly-half Frans Steyn's red card at the RDS on Friday evening.

Steyn was sent off in the first half of Leinster's 57-3 European Champions Cup win over the Top 14 side in Dublin, following a high tackle on Jonathan Sexton.

Leinster took full advantage, cruising to a bonus-point victory which ensured their qualification to the quarter-finals of European rugby's premier competition with a match to spare.

"The red card changed the dynamic of the game pretty drastically," Cullen said.

"Montpellier actually came with a lot of intent to play as well, which probably got them in trouble when they were down to 14 men. I thought the guys stuck to tasks really, really well, which was very, very pleasing."

Steyn's sending off comes just two weeks after the sport's governing body World Rugby issued new regulations, which they hope will cut down on head-high, dangerous tackles.

"With everything that's gone on at the moment, it's a very tough area," Cullen continued.

"I haven't studied it in enough detail really, but it's late around the head. You're running that risk. Players have been made aware of it.

"The word accidental doesn't mean anything anymore. It's a tough one, because a red card in rugby is a big deal, and it gives the opposition, which is us, a huge advantage."

Leinster have already secured top spot in Pool 4, but Cullen wants his side to end their group stage campaign with a victory at Castres next Friday to guarantee themselves a home quarter-final in March/April.

“You see the way all the pools are unfolding and you tend to get some big scores in the last couple of rounds,” he told RTE Sport.

“We talked beforehand that every point does matter.

“We need to try and push on now. It’s great to be in the quarter-finals but we need to see about getting a home quarter-final because it makes a big difference."

Montpellier head coach Jake White was disappointed with yet another ill-disciplined performance from his players, with his side ending the game with 14 men for the third time in successive Champions Cup matches.

"I am annoyed, because it has a domino effect on performance. I'm annoyed also because there's some really good players making some really stupid mistakes and decisions. Not only red cards, but kicking [poorly] out of your 22. You've some really talented players, and you can't turn the ball over," the South African said.

"There's nothing that happened tonight that they didn't expect. It's very simple, if you give the ball to Leinster, you're going to defend for three minutes.

"Not only did we give it to them, we gave it to them in our own 22, and we wondered why they turned it into points?!"

Photo: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

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