Doris believes heavyweight bench key for Leinster's showdown against Toulouse

Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen has gone with a 6-2 split on the bench believing every replacement has a key role to play in the final. 

REPLACEMENTS ARE KEY: Caelan Doris believes Leinster’s heavyweight bench can lift the starting forward pack to new heights in their Champions Cup final showdown with Toulouse at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon (2:45pm). Pic: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland

Caelan Doris believes Leinster’s heavyweight bench can lift the starting forward pack to new heights in their Champions Cup final showdown with Toulouse at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon (2:45pm).

Leinster boss Leo Cullen named six forwards on his eight-man bench for the decider against five-time champions Toulouse, sacrificing a third back in his bid to counteract the French giants’ big men. Opposite number Ugo Mola has a formidable starting pack from one to eight highlighted by the talents of hooker Peato Mauvaka, locks Thibaud Flament and Emmanuel Meafou and No.8 Alexandre Roumat while Leinster’s first-choice octet is the same which started the pivotal quarter-final victory over La Rochelle last month with a fit-again Will Connors restored to openside flanker and Jason Jenkins back in the second row as Ross Molony misses out.

Cullen has named former world player of the year Josh van der Flier among his replacements alongside fellow seasoned Ireland back-five internationals James Ryan and Jack Conan on an all-Test bench and Doris said: “The quality between Jack, Josh and Cheese for the back five in particular, seeing those names on the bench, I think for the lads starting you can have the feeling that you can give everything while you’re on and you’ve got those players coming on to finish the job off.

“From a confidence point of view it lifts you definitely.” 

With Luke McGrath and Ciaran Frawley the two backline replacements, head coach Cullen said every member of his bench had a “huge” role.

“Josh van der Flier coming off the bench will be huge as well and he’s such a dynamic player,” Cullen said. “We’ve discussed different ways of getting impact off the bench and Will Connors has been excellent in a couple of games he has played and in the role he will deliver for the team. Hopefully we’ve got a good combination there. I think it is important that we have that freshness in these big games.

“Ciaran Frawley, because of his versatility he has played big game for us at 10, 12; and at 15 this season so he gives us a lot of comfort in that regard. Even Luke McGrath has featured on the wing for us previously and Josh van der Flier has featured on the wing for us, so it does give you plenty of comfort there.

“But because of the way the modern game is in terms of physicality that the forwards are involved in, having some of that freshness is important at the end for sure.”