As Leo Cullen passes his 24th birthday, John O'Sullivan sees the 6ft 6in player getting even better.

On Wednesday morning, Leo Cullen celebrated his 24th birthday by boarding a specially chartered Fokker 50 plane at Leeds Bradford Airport. Three hours later, Cullen, along with his fellow Leinster players, disembarked in Toulouse and boarded a coach that whisked them to the team hotel before unpacking.

As celebrations go, it was pretty mundane, the sole acknowledgement a birthday cake and a tuneless rendition of Happy Birthday. Not that Cullen is complaining. Rugby is his passion, has been since he first carried his schoolbag through the gates of Willow Park as an eight-year-old.

Growing up on a farm situated between the towns of Newtownmountkennedy and Ashford, his progression towards Blackrock is not immediately evident. "I went to primary school in Wicklow Town and it was only when my sister was sent to Holy Child, Killiney that my parents decided to send me to Blackrock. Mum's brothers had gone there so I managed to get into the school."

It was to prove a seminal moment for Cullen as he embraced the new regime and rugby in particular with gusto. It didn't matter that to get home after training he sometimes had to board the DART to Bray, grab a bus to Newcastle and walk the three miles to the house.

Age taught him the value of a short trip to his father, Frank's office and a lift home as the preferred route. Physically, Cullen, now 6ft 6ins and 17 stone, was unremarkable, no bigger than many of his classmates at Willow.

"It was only during the summer between the end of second year in Blackrock and the start of third that I shot up; literally, I think I grew something weird like eight inches."

It was a timely spurt as Cullen made the Junior Cup team the following season, playing number eight on the Barry Gibney-led 'Rock team that beat St Mary's 33-3 in the final. In fourth year Cullen took an unexpected sabbatical from rugby.

He wasn't physically mature enough to make the senior panel. A chance visit to Kilmacud Crokes provided the young Cullen with an enjoyable year playing Gaelic football. "I was staying with Tom Keating at the time and he used to go to (Kilmacud) Crokes. I went down one night and Tommy Coughlan, who managed the under-16s, asked me if I'd like to play."

Cullen played in the same team as current Dublin footballer Jonny McGee, one that reached the semi-finals of the Dublin championship, losing to Erin's Isle. Rugby loomed large again, forcing him to give up Crokes.

In the next two years while at Blackrock he won two Schools Senior Cups, played for the Leinster Schools including taking part in all eight matches of their unbeaten tour to Australia in 1995. Twelve months later he was part of the Ireland Schools team that won all nine matches, including becoming the first to win a Test on Australian soil.

He won the interprovincial series with the Leinster Schools and a Triple Crown with the national side. "We beat Scotland, England at Hull and then narrowly won against Wales at Ravenhill. I don't remember much about the Welsh match.

"I remember taking the field and then waking up in hospital. I believe I played for 60 minutes and they only took me off because I couldn't remember any of the calls. Apparently I kept saying to everyone that I would be alright in a minute."

Cullen captained Ireland in the FIRA under-19 championship, led them to a Triple Crown at under-21, winning 16 caps at that level, played for Ireland under-25s and amassed nine caps to date at A level. He has also captained the Blackrock club and made his senior Leinster debut on a pre-season tour in 1997.

The following year, he made his European Cup debut away to Stade Francais. This year, he has established himself alongside Malcolm O'Kelly as the first-choice second row pairing.

His work ethic, innate footballing skills and honesty in favouring the team over individual kudos has endeared him to coach Matt Williams.

He concedes to being "disappointed" at missing out on making the 43-man Ireland squad announced this week.

"I didn't play well in the Celtic League final and that could have cost me a place. I'll just have to work harder."

He yearns for success at Leinster and the attendant recognition at a higher level. He already boasts a very impressive CV for a player just turned 24.

One suspects that there are a couple of pages to be added yet.