Leo Cullen sings praises of 'fantastic natural leader' in Leinster camp

Leinster assistant coach lauds young star

Leo Cullen has praised Leinster academy graduate Max Deegan for his impress performances so far this season

The 20-year-old has started three of Leinster's four United Rugby Championship matches this season and has impressed with his performances in the back row.

"Max has been fantastic," Cullen said. "He is a fantastic natural leader, he is very vocal on the pitch and he leads by example with the way he plays."

"He is a very physical player, he is very good over the ball and he is a very good carrier."

"He is still only 20 years old so he has a lot of potential and we are really excited about what he can achieve in the future."

Deegan made his Leinster debut in the 2020/21 season and has since made 15 appearances for the province.

He was part of the Ireland U20s team that won the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2022 and was also part of the Ireland U20s team that reached the final of the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2022.