Leinster look to end Champions Cup drought beneath familiar Basque sun
HEAT IS ON: Captain Caelan Doris during a Leinster Rugby captain's run at San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Leo Cullen was a 17-year old watching on from his grandparents’ house when Toulouse squeezed past Cardiff after extra-time at the Arms Park to win the first European Cup final. It was just seven days into January and less than 22,000 people were on site.
The Leinster head coach spoke passionately on Friday about a tournament that has unspooled to a point where he was sitting in the bowels of the magnificent San Mames stadium ahead of his province’s latest attempt at bagging a fifth title.
His musings meandered to take in everyone from Brive’s one-time Polish flanker Grzegorz Kacała to Mike Ruddock and Wasps, and they captured perfectly the hold that this tournament continues to have over its Irish flock.
“Listen, you fall in love,” he said at one point.
This wander down memory lane was predicated by a question about the future of the tournament and (our words) the careless chopping and changing undertaken by its organisers and supposed guardians in the last decade or so.
There is no doubt but that much of the magic has been lost since the old Heineken Cup days, but Leinster’s longing for success in the Champions Cup has hit unprecedented heights on the back of four final defeats since they won here in Spain in 2018.
That this thing is always on their minds is apparent in the fact that Cullen took a detour to Bilbao to have a quick peek at the San Mames back in November when on a Busman’s holiday to watch pool opponents Bayonne play with his father and son.
Visualisation is a powerful thing but a return must have felt a long way away at the time given Leinster, handicapped by the late return of the bulk of their squad after British and Irish Lions and Ireland summer duties, had lost three of their first four URC games.
The heavy defeat to Munster at Croke Park in mid-October was a particularly bracing day but the coach and others have referenced as a positive the struggles they’ve had to overcome in chugging their way through an imperfect season.
“It hasn't been a perfect year of performances but we've been growing all the time,” said Dan Sheehan.
Caelan Doris said much the same pre-match, and another step up is needed now. Cullen declared as much when stating how only their very best will get them over the line against the reigning champions and under a punishing Basque afternoon sun.
The heat isn’t expected to threaten the thirties at this stage but the whole package still makes for a big ask for a team that was mostly excellent for 70 minutes in the semi-final against Toulon and then fell to bits for the run-in.
There is some room for comfort there.
Athletic Bilbao’s pitch is 10 metres narrower than the Aviva’s so that should counter some of the fatigue that Caelan Doris says was a factor in that late fade while, at the same time, squeezing some of the room for Bordeaux’s fly boys to operate.
Leinster’s bench is another plus. It’s certainly stronger than the replacement panel used against Toulon with Tadhg Furlong being kept in reserve and Paddy McCarthy fit enough to take part after his own injury issues.
Ciaran Frawley being preferred to Sam Prendergast offers more versatility and solidity in defence while Jamie Osborne is a fine option to bring in now that he has lost out to Robbie Henshaw in the bid to partner Garry Ringrose at centre.
Tommy O’Brien has been passed fit and will start on the right wing while Rieko Ioane has been preferred on the left, given James Lowe only has one game under his belt of late, and is in the sort of form that promises great things from the All Black.
And Harry Byrne surely won’t kick as poorly as in the semi-final.
Other reasons for cheer?
Their pack destroyed Toulon at the scrum last time out and their attack play has been improving steadily. Leinster will hurt Bordeaux with ball in hand and their usual feverishness at the breakdown will be key to it all.
And then there is that defence. Is this to be the day when Jacques Nienaber’s blitz comes up trumps for the province? Or will anyone be surprised if UBB go ballistic off turnover ball and Louis Bielle-Biarrey scores another hat-trick?
Yannick Bru’s side has lost ten times in the URC this season with Stade Francais and Montpellier and Lyon both sacking the Stade Chaban-Delmas with a variation of the Nienaber ‘D’, the latter just a month ago.
They are eminently beatable even if the presence of Maxime Lucu and four other Basque players – all of them presented with Athletic Bilbao shirts this week – would suggest they will have the locals on side come kick-off.
Bordeaux come to this with their chests out. Head coach Yannick Bru said last year’s title win at the expense of Northampton Saints in Cardiff had “unlocked” something in his side and actually warned against overconfidence on their part.
Leinster’s mental state is very different.
Jamison Gibson-Park admitted earlier this week that they have tightened up in previous finals. Cullen spoke of a team just not playing as freely as it could and should after Toulon. The past isn’t just the past, it’s a weight around their neck.
This a chance to be rid of it.
“In the big games you just want to attack it and narrow it down, not think of it as one big massive occasion,” said Doris. “Moment by moment there's going to be a lot of fights and a big part of it is enjoying it. These are the days that you strive for.
H Keenan; T O’Brien, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, R Ioane; H Byrne, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, D Sheehan, T Clarkson; J McCarthy, J Ryan; J Conan, J van der Flier, C Doris.
R Kelleher, P McCarthy, T Furlong, D Mangan, M Deegan, L McGrath, C Frawley, J Osborne.
S Rayasi ; P Uberti, D Penaud, Y Moefana, L Bielle-Biarrey; M Jalibert, M Lucu; J Poirot, M Lamothe, C Sadie; B Palu, A Coleman; P Bochaton, C Woki, M Gazzotti.
G Barlot, U Boniface, B Tameifuna, L Swinton, T Matiu, B Vergnes-Taillefer, A Retiere, H Reus.
K Dickson (Eng).
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