Cullen: Pressure was immense
Captain Leo Cullen was a relieved man after watching Leinster set up an all-Irish Heineken Cup final next month.
The defending champions survived a late Clermont Auvergne barrage yesterday to win 19-15 and reach their third final in four years.
Ulster will be the opponents at Twickenham on May 19, after their defeat of Edinburgh on Saturday.
Leinster’s win in Bordeaux was tense. The visitors trailed 12-6 at half-time and Wesley Fofana had a try ruled out for Clermont in the final minutes.
The French side threw everything at the Leinster line and Cullen admitted afterwards it was among the toughest European games he had played.
He said: “To be honest it was pretty intense out there.
“I think both teams made quite a few mistakes considering the quality of players out there.
“I think a lot of it was to do with the pressure that was there as well. It was one of those games that could have gone either way.
“It goes to the TMO – sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t. We got it there today and at the end of the day that’s the difference between the two teams.”
Clermont Auvergne head coach Vern Cotter was disappointed to see his side lose their first Heineken Cup semi-final in such dramatic fashion.
He said: “When we were on top and didn’t get a reward at the end, it’s difficult. I think it’ll take a while for us to get over this game.
“The start of the second half was difficult for us. That’s when they came back. We were six points ahead and they scored a try.
“We lost the lead and we were forced to change and to play differently.”
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