'It means the most' - McCarthy and Keenan determined to finally taste Leinster Euro glory 

EURO DREAM: Leinster's Andrew Porter, Tommy O'Brien, Joe McCarthy and Hugo Keenan celebrate after the match. Pic: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Joe McCarthy was still in school and Hugo Keenan an academy player when Leinster last lifted the Champions Cup at San Mames Stadium in 2018.

Now both key members of the class of 2026, the duo will embark on their own journey to Bilbao in search of European glory, eager to join the pantheon of the province’s title winners.

There was palpable relief in the Leinster camp as they withstood a late rally from Toulon at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday to emerge with a 29-25 semi-final victory.

Having dug deep to book a ninth Champions Cup final appearance on May 23 and after four consecutive defeats in the showpiece since that victory over Racing 92 eight years ago, both McCarthy, 25, and Keenan, 29, are intent on finally getting their hands on piece of silverware their squad covets most.

The Ireland internationals have each suffered the pain of final defeats with their province, second-row McCarthy featuring off the bench in the 2022 loss to La Rochelle in Marseille and then starting the epic 2024 with Toulouse at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Leinster were beaten in extra-time.

Keenan started both of those games and the full-back was also at 15 when La Rochelle went back-to-back at Leinster’s expense in Dublin in 2023. They both understand what it will take to add a fifth star to the blue jersey.

“I think finals, you really need to attack the game,” McCarthy said. “I've played in two finals, one off the bench and then 100 minutes against Toulouse.

"So, you just need to really attack the game the whole time. You're looking to get your best performance of the year, so you're playing the best team, and it means the most. A one-point win will do it. Just be our best.”

McCarthy admitted Leinster’s 2025 semi-final loss at home to Northampton Saints had helped motivate the team to defeat Toulon at the same stage on Saturday having continued to weigh heavily in the squad’s minds throughout the current European campaign.

“It's definitely something …it hangs over you. You lose these big games in Europe like last year; we lost the semi-final. It probably plays in your mind for the whole year. Every game you go into - not every game you go into - but every knockout game, it plays on your mind. ‘If we don't get it right, if we don't pitch up here, if we go home, devastated.’

"It's something that probably, looking back on it, gives us more motivation. You need to be at your absolute best every knockout game and if you're not at the races it's a terrible day.”

Now Leinster can move on to exorcising different ghosts, in Bilbao in three weeks. Neither McCarthy nor Keenan was at the San Mames as their Isa Nacewa-led predecessors edged Racing 15-12 in a tryless encounter in the Basque Country. The lock had been at a cousin’s wedding in Birmingham, sneaking a look at the game during the speeches.

“I was still in fifth year or something,” McCarthy recalled. “It's the one you want to win, you want to be the best team in Europe. Something that will stick with you for your whole life, that trophy. We'll focus on the next games (v Lions & Ospreys, URC Rounds 17 & 18), do those well, set you up well and then just try and get our best performance for fun.”

Keenan sees an opportunity to tap into that 2018 game, which he also watched from afar.

“I was still in the academy, still annoyed that we weren't flown over for the occasion, but I think we were in Bective watching it as an academy group in the rugby club as far as I can remember. I remember watching the celebrations and being so proud of the group.

“It was a case where I had aspirations to break into the first team. At that stage, I had only a couple of caps. It was sort of a first taste of what it could be like and that's been a huge motivator.

“Obviously, I haven't gotten my hands on the trophy since and it's a big personal goal. It's a big squad goal and it has been for the last number of years. So, we're going to do our all to muster up that spirit of Bilbao from 2018.

"Any little advantages that the squad and lads back then in it, because there's still a bit of carryover from it, we'll take.”