Elsom: Leinster will be back
The Irish province reached the semi-finals of Europe’s premier competition before surrendering the defence of their crown to eventual winners Toulouse.
The draw for next season’s group stages takes place in Cardiff today, the host city for the 2010/11 final.
But the Australian skipper believes his former Leinster team-mates will raise their game to emulate their 2009 triumph over Leicester Tigers at Murrayfield.
Flanker Elsom, 27, said: “Leinster weren’t far away in the Heineken Cup last season and I fully expect them to bounce back next year.
“I think they performed well in Europe but they were just beaten by a much better Toulouse side on the day.
“In the end, I wasn’t surprised to see Toulouse win the competition but they did produce their best display of the tournament in the semi-final. Leinster seem a much more complete side now but, in the big games, you can never be sure of anything. They have established themselves as one of the leading sides in Europe and they just have to go again. They will definitely be in the mix to win it.”
Elsom is currently on international duty with the Wallabies and won his 50th cap against Fiji last weekend.
He is preparing for two Tests with arch rivals England followed by a one-off clash against Ireland which will reunited the back-rower with some of his Leinster pals in Brisbane on June 26.
But the inspirational forward says the Dubliners will still pose a major threat on the European stage, despite the departure of coach Michael Cheika to Stade Francais.
He added: “Leinster won’t have a problem even if coaches or players are leaving or retiring. I still look out for Leinster’s scores and I did watch a lot of their matches last season. It didn’t end the way they wanted in both Europe or the Magners League. But people must remember titles are hard to win.”
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