Jack Conan: Leinster still drawing on Sarries lesson ahead of La Rochelle test

'That day taught us a lot,' No 8 Conan said, 'that in the big occasions on the biggest stage, if you don’t get your set-piece right you’re not going to win...'

Jack Conan of Leinster following the Heineken Champions Cup final match between Leinster and Saracens at St James' Park in Newcastle in 2019

Jack Conan insists Leinster have learned a lot from last season’s European quarter-final home defeat to Saracens as they prepare to face La Rochelle’s in tomorrow’s Heineken Champions Cup semi-final.

With head coach Leo Cullen yesterday pinpointing the set-piece as a key battleground for the PRO14 champions to win against their French Top 14 rivals at Stade Marcel-Deflandre, Conan told the Irish Examiner that the last-eight loss to Saracens at Aviva Stadium and the English side’s dominance in the scrum that day is still a motivating force in Leinster’s mindset.