Leo Cullen (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Leo Cullen is an Irish
rugby union
player who plays Lock for Irish club Leinster Rugby
and Ireland
. He was educated, firstly at Willow Park
which is the junior school to Blackrock College
where he attended secondary school. He attended University College Dublin
after leaving school.
medal in 1996 when Blackrock beat a Newbridge College
team which included Geordan Murphy
.
. He moved to Leicester Tigers
in 2005 where he made 56 appearances, 15 as captain. He was a part of the squad that won the EDF Energy Cup
and Guinness Premiership
in 2007. He was also on the losing side in the 2007 Heineken Cup Final, when London Wasps
defeated Leicester at Twickenham Stadium
. He rejoined Leinster in 2007 and was part of the squad that won the 2007/2008 Magners League. On 26 August 2008, he was named as Leinster captain following Brian O'Driscoll
stepping down from the role meaning he has captained most of the teams he has played on. He led Leinster to success in the Heineken Cup
2009 in a campaign which saw a victory over Munster
in the semi final and Leicester in the final. During the match Alan Quinlan
of Munster was cited for making contact with Cullens eye and was found guilty despite Cullen appealing for clemency during the hearing.
. He made his senior debut against the All Blacks
in Auckland in 2002, and was the 100th man to captain Ireland, against Scotland on the 6th of August 2011.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who plays Lock for Irish club Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
and Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
. He was educated, firstly at Willow Park
Willow Park
Willow Park may refer to:* Willow Park School, primary school in Dublin, Ireland which is a feeder school for Blackrock College* Willow Grove Park, amusement park located in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania that operated for eighty years from 1896 to 1976...
which is the junior school to Blackrock College
Blackrock College
Blackrock College is a Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in of grounds, it has an illustrious...
where he attended secondary school. He attended University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
after leaving school.
Schools Rugby
Cullen won a Leinster Schools Senior CupLeinster Schools Senior Cup
The Leinster Schools Senior Challenge Cup is the premier rugby union competition for secondary schools affiliated to the Leinster Branch of the IRFU. First held in 1887, the Cup celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2007....
medal in 1996 when Blackrock beat a Newbridge College
Newbridge College
Newbridge College is a co-educational fee-paying secondary school in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, run by the Dominican Order. The Dominican Fathers founded Newbridge College in 1852 as a boarding school for boys...
team which included Geordan Murphy
Geordan Murphy
Geordan Edward Andrew Murphy is an Irish rugby union rugby player and plays fullback or wing for the English club Leicester Tigers and Ireland....
.
Club career
Cullen began his career with Leinster by representing them at schoolboy level in 1995 before moving on to their U20 team where he won 7 caps. He also made 5 appearances on the 'A' team and finally debuted on the senior team where he was part of the squad that won the Celtic LeagueCeltic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
. He moved to Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
in 2005 where he made 56 appearances, 15 as captain. He was a part of the squad that won the EDF Energy Cup
EDF Energy Cup
The Anglo-Welsh Cup, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the LV Cup , is an English and Welsh rugby union knock-out cup competition featuring the twelve Aviva Premiership clubs and four Welsh Regions...
and Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
in 2007. He was also on the losing side in the 2007 Heineken Cup Final, when London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
defeated Leicester at Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
. He rejoined Leinster in 2007 and was part of the squad that won the 2007/2008 Magners League. On 26 August 2008, he was named as Leinster captain following Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish professional rugby union player. He is the current captain of the Ireland Rugby team and captained Leinster Rugby until the start of 2008 season. He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand...
stepping down from the role meaning he has captained most of the teams he has played on. He led Leinster to success in the Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
2009 in a campaign which saw a victory over Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
in the semi final and Leicester in the final. During the match Alan Quinlan
Alan Quinlan
Alan Quinlan is an Irish rugby union player. He played for Munster and is registered to the AIB League side Shannon. He retired from rugby in May 2011.-Career:...
of Munster was cited for making contact with Cullens eye and was found guilty despite Cullen appealing for clemency during the hearing.
International career
Cullen has represented his country at all levels, 7 caps at schools level, then captaining the U19 team 3 times in 4 caps. He went on to captain the U21s 14 times in 16 appearances. He also appeared for the U25 team and has been capped 17 times at 'A' level where he captained the team against EnglandEngland national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
. He made his senior debut against the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in Auckland in 2002, and was the 100th man to captain Ireland, against Scotland on the 6th of August 2011.