Lowe dotted down on 35 minutes at Aviva Stadium before crossing three times after the break, helping seal Leinster’s 82-41 aggregate success over their United Rugby Championship rivals.

Lowe is now the leading try scorer in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup on eight, and Cullen says his physicality is something that has impressed him recently.

“He put in a good week this week, James,” Cullen said after the game. “He’s very, very talented as we know. When he really applies himself, he’s as good as anyone who is out there.

“He worked hard this week and you see the rewards he got off the back of that.

“Some good play for some of his tries, but he brings a different level in terms of the power that he has in contact.

“It’s a skill that he’s able to manage contact on his terms as well. It was great to see him go well over the last couple of weeks.”

Leinster now face a trip to Leicester Tigers in the quarter-finals, and Cullen was keen to highlight the progress the Gallagher Premiership side have made under head coach Steve Borthwick.

“They’ve got a strong lineout maul obviously with the identity of their coach,” said Cullen. “That’s probably a reflection of the job he has done there in a reasonably short period of time.

“I know they’ve had a sticky patch over the last number of years but in terms of what they have delivered this year, they have a fair bit of power.

“Even from watching the couple of games they had against Connacht where they mixed and matched their teams over those two games.

“The power in some of the backs, you think of the likes of [Nemani] Nadolo who is there, very experienced halfbacks in Ben Youngs and George Ford.”

Leinster travel to Mattioli Woods Welford Road on the weekend of May 6/7/8.

Leinster Rugby head coach Leo Cullen has heaped praised on James Lowe after the wing scored four tries in the Irish province’s 56-20 victory over Connacht Rugby in the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 second leg on Friday.