{"id":461147,"date":"2026-05-22T03:46:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T03:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/461147\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T03:46:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T03:46:20","slug":"this-champions-cup-final-is-a-day-like-no-other-in-leinsters-history-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/461147\/","title":{"rendered":"This Champions Cup final is a day like no other in Leinster\u2019s history \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here we go again: \u201cOnce more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is something akin to Shakespeare\u2019s Henry V about Leinster\u2019s<\/a> unbending quest to lift another Champions Cup<\/a>. A multiyear journey with confrontations in different parts of the Continent, packed with heroic resilience in the face of deep adversity and in this, perhaps the last Act, our hero faces a powerful French foe in a decisive battle. <\/p>\n

The question is will this end as another tragedy?<\/p>\n

Elite rugby is not a fairytale. Nice guys do come last and justice is not always delivered. In every final, heartbreak and elation are travelling companions.<\/p>\n

More than any other team in the world, Leinster understand what lies in store for them if they lose another Champions Cup decider. They carry four soul-deep lacerations from being good enough to reach the final, but falling so tantalisingly close to lifting the trophy. <\/p>\n

To me, that makes their bravery to compete even more admirable. Despite living with the full knowledge of the consequences and real possibility of defeat, they step back into the ring and continue to fight. <\/p>\n

That takes some kahoonas.<\/p>\n

Like Henry V\u2019s famous speech before the Battle of Agincourt, Leo Cullen <\/a>has given a call to arms. Leo\u2019s spray to the media after Leinster\u2019s semi-final win was no accident. He is a highly calculated, intelligent leader. His comments shocked the media and the rugby community because he was sending a message to his players. <\/p>\n

As the local media attempted to defend itself, his message was amplified. That is exactly what Cullen wanted. It is now Team Leinster, underdogs against the world. A smart move by a smart coach who has positioned his team as underrated before a huge final. Cullen knows that every final is a one-off event. Everything is about the moment. Form and past results are irrelevant.<\/p>\n

\"Bordeaux'sBordeaux’s Louis Bielle-Biarrey runs with the ball as Cameron Woki and Damian Penaud look on in victory over Northampton Saints. Photograph: Romain Perrocheau\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Bordeaux<\/a> are favourites because they carry two powerful advantages over their opponents.<\/p>\n

Leinster\u2019s controversial rush defensive system leaves unmarked space out wide on their flanks. Sitting out in this unmanned area, ready to exploit the lack of defenders, Bordeaux have the blistering speed of Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud. <\/p>\n

Their second significant asset is that their halves, Matthieu Jalibert and Maxime Lucu, both possess passing and short-kicking skills that are highly effective in getting the ball to these speedsters with exceptional accuracy.<\/p>\n

Statistically, Bordeaux lead Leinster in almost every category. Long-range tries, offloads, defenders beaten, points scored, you name it, Bordeaux lead it. I can find no statistical evidence that Leinster\u2019s defensive system is capable of minimising their deep weaknesses on their flanks. I want to be wrong, but almost every aspect of analysis points to Bordeaux winning and getting a second star on their chest.<\/p>\n

In the emotional cauldrons that are finals, \u201cXs and Os\u201d written on a whiteboard are not what wins matches. While it is \u201conce more unto the breach, dear friends\u201d, King Henry goes on to say, \u201cbut when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the actions of the tiger\u201d.<\/p>\n

It is the spirit of that wild tiger that Leinster must bring to their play if they are to overcome the lightning speed of Bordeaux.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Ulster and Leinster will have to battle sweltering conditions in Bilbao for European decidersOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Leinster must take this Champions Cup final by force with a game plan based on complete aggression that can heap unexpected pressure on the French side.<\/p>\n

First, they must get in their opponent\u2019s face and derail their mental state by physically, psychologically and verbally getting under their skin and placing doubt inside their minds. Leinster must violently attack every tackle, ball carry and scrum to physically dominate and intimidate Bordeaux. <\/p>\n

We have seen these Leinster players pull on an Irish jersey and bash up the Springboks in the second Test in Durban in 2024 and against England at Twickenham this year. Every Leinster player must carry that same warrior attitude into each minute of this final.<\/p>\n

If we consider last year\u2019s final, Bordeaux and Northampton put on a tactically smart display of clever boxing, which the French dominated. If Leinster run out in Bilbao and box nicely, as Northampton did, Bordeaux will win.<\/p>\n

Leinster must grab Bordeaux by the collar and turn the boxing match into a physical brawl that rattles Bordeaux\u2019s game plan, while navigating the razor edge of delivering physical aggression beyond anything they have displayed in the past six years, while not producing yellow cards. <\/p>\n

There is no better way of doing this than by dominating the aerial battle that is created by box kicks. While both Bordeaux wingers are fast, they are not noted for their skills under a high ball.<\/p>\n

\"SouthSouth Africa’s Handr\u00e9 Pollard and Ireland’s James Lowe and Garry Ringrose. Photograph: Dan Sheridan\/\u00a9INPHO <\/p>\n

While Jacques Nienaber\u2019s defensive system does leave space out wide, its compact nature empowers the close-in defenders to smash the Bordelais and slow down their ruck speed. If Leinster can dominate the French at the breakdown, it will hinder their ability to get the ball wide and limit their execution of attacking plays. <\/p>\n

All of those tactics are an achievable mission for Cullen\u2019s men.<\/p>\n

For Leinster, the performance of Harry Byrne<\/a> is paramount. He must play to his strengths and not try to overplay his hand. It is essential that his goal-kicking is accurate as every point will be crucial. There can be no points left untaken. His kicking in general play must also be pinpoint to deny the superb Bordeaux counterattack any opportunity. <\/p>\n

This match is his chance to prove to the world, and himself, that he has what it takes to lead a team around the park on a big day and win. <\/p>\n

Jamison Gibson-Park must also be at his zenith. Penaud is a spectacular attacker, but his defence on his outside shoulder is highly suspect. If Gibson-Park\u2019s service can give Garry Ringrose a few metres of space, there are plenty of opportunities for Leinster to penetrate around Penaud, especially at set play.<\/p>\n

This Champions Cup final is a day like no other in Leinster\u2019s history. If they are to eliminate all the pain and heartache of seven years of frustration, it all distils down to a single factor. If Leinster are to lift the Champions Cup, they must take it by violent, physical force.<\/p>\n

That is easy to say but immeasurably hard to execute.<\/p>\n

Head says Bordeaux. <\/p>\n

Heart says Leinster. <\/p>\n

Always go with your heart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here we go again: \u201cOnce more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.\u201d There is something akin to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":461148,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[199738,61,60,199737,112],"class_list":["post-461147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-champions-cup-final","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-leinster-v-bordeaux","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/461148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}