Leinster’s James Lowe celebrates a try while Toulouse captain Antoine Dupont applauds the fans
At the end of a scintillating Champions Cup final 12 months ago, as the La Rochelle players celebrated one of European rugby’s all-time comebacks, the World Rugby player of the year broke down as the devastation of another near-miss set in.
Leinster also lost the 2022 final to La Rochelle in dramatic circumstances but last year felt particularly painful.
That was partly because the 2023 showpiece was held at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, where several of the Leinster players had clinched the Six Nations Grand Slam with Ireland just two months earlier.
It was also partly down to the ignominy of letting slip a 17-0 lead to eventually lose 27-26, a second-half collapse only deepening the pain for those in blue.
Leinster won four Champions Cups between 2009 and 2018. In the six years since, they have lost three finals. The pressure to deliver a record-equalling fifth title has only grown with each defeat.
But failure is life’s great teacher and this season Leinster have already banished some demons ahead of Saturday’s final in London against another French giant in Toulouse.
