Leinster urged to 'live in the moment' as they return to final action in Bilbao

The Champions Cup final between Leinster and Bordeaux will be the first meeting of the two teams. If ‘UBB’ bring something unique to the table this time then Leinster’s past experiences against big French clubs with lightning backs and behemoth packs will surely stand to them.

Leinster play Bordeaux-Begles in the Champions Cup final in Bilbao on Saturday. Pic: Jamie O'Brien/Sportsfile

For Leinster, excitement over this week’s Champions Cup final in Bilbao against Bordeaux-Begles must inevitably be balanced by the scars of recent deciders against other Top 14 giants.

The two painfully late losses to La Rochelle, followed by the extra-time defeat to Toulouse, stand as the most relevant chapters in the province’s hard-luck catalogue since they last claimed the title in the same San Mames stadium eight long years ago.

Robin McBryde is adamant that lessons have been distilled from all those experiences, as well as others like last season’s semi-final reversal to Northampton Saints at the Aviva. The lesson in all this is simple. To be here now.

“If you were to add all our best moments in the finals, I'm sure somewhere you'd be able to put a final together that we actually win,” he joked. “We just need to stack those good moments on top of good moments.

“We've had good starts in the competition in a final. We finished strong in a final. If we can put all that together on the day and just keep on stacking good moments on top of good moments… just live in that moment.” 

McBryde’s way of dealing with all the hype and the angst is to keep things in perspective. He has said much the same prior to previous finals. In other word, the forwards coach is determined to enjoy the journey and accept the outcome whatever it may be.

This latest journey has been more testing than usual.

Leinster have had to ride out the waves of a stormy early season. They have still won most of their games, but without ever really convincing themselves or others that they were on the brink of some smooth sailing.

They have, by McBryde’s admission, edged games they probably should have lost but recent signs suggests form is on an upward curve and they have used the vast majority of their frontline players this last two weeks in the course of their URC duties.

Leo Cullen’s side are also at a point where the bulk of their injuries are behind them, although it’s not that they’re at full pelt given Ryan Baird, RG Snyman, Will Connors and Jack Boyle are all definitely unavailable in the Basque Country.

Paddy McCarthy and Tommy O’Brien are both in the ‘wait-and-see’ category and it may be that the forward absentees listed above could point them towards a bench split of 5/3 rather than a 6/2 for Saturday’s game in Spain.

Mood? It can be overrated on weeks like these. We’ve heard in the past of teams who stank the place out at training and worked their magic on the big day, and vice versa. For what it’s worth, Leinster have been training with an edge.

If ‘edge’ is something of an incalculable then the Welshman could only smile as he described the odd “rib tickler” from players understandably eager to force their way into the squad conversation ahead of the last selection meeting.

The province will start the weekend’s decider as underdogs, not just because of their own form this term but because of the fact that Bordeaux-Begles are reigning champions and have already taken down Toulouse and Bath in previous rounds.

McBryde’s take on them pretty much sums up the threat.

"I don't know where to start really. They've got some great individuals, but they play collectively very well. They've got a great understanding, collectively as a team. They've obviously linked up the lineouts with the backs particularly.

“Cameron Woki's outstanding as an individual, but the way that he plays with the 9 and 10, they're obviously all on the same page, they've got a great understanding. They've got quality throughout the team, they've got quality on the bench as well.

“I mean, you've got somebody like Ben Tameifuna who's a bit of an icon for them now, and normally in the tight… I mean he gets around the loose as well, and he's pretty destructive from five metres out. You've got [Carlue] Sadie, who's an outstanding scrummager.

“I could go on really. but they're a pretty all-round good team."

This will, remarkably, be the first ever meeting of the two sides but if ‘UBB’ bring something unique to the table this time then Leinster’s past experiences against big French clubs with lightning backs and behemoth packs will surely stand to them.

As should those agonising losses. The Arthur Retiere try after 79 minutes in Marseille. The costly illegal clearout from Michael Alalatoa in Dublin 12 months later. The loss to Toulouse after 100 minutes in London.

If this one goes down to the wire then Leinster will be in familiar territory.

“We're going to have to be switched on for the full 80 minutes, definitely,” said McBryde.