How Leinster went from Ladyboys to Lords of the Manor

Leinster will match Toulouse’s record of four European Cup titles if they can account for Racing 92 in Bilbao tomorrow. Brendan O’Brien examines why, six years after the third of their Heineken Cup titles, the province is again on the verge of something big

Nine years on from the first of their successes and you could be forgiven for thinking that Rocky Elsom won the competition all by himself, such is the mythology around his role. The Australian’s influence was considerable, but it was just one piece of the jigsaw that fell into place in 2009.

The arrival of Michael Cheika was the kick up the backside the province required, on and off the field. The Randwick man revolutionised Leinster’s approach, their facilities and their culture, draining the soft underbelly from a side tagged as ‘Ladyboys’ and delivering them to the Promised Land.