Leinster aim to end six years of hurt when they face five-time winners Toulouse in Saturday's Champions Cup final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
, 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.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.
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.This season was always going to be different for Leinster. Senior coach Stuart Lancaster, a key architect of the club's 2018 European triumph, left for Racing 92 while talismanic fly-half Johnny Sexton retired after the World Cup.
But while reclaiming the league title remains a possibility in the weeks ahead, extinguishing the continental hurt of recent years has been this group's driving ambition. Leinster had thrilled a sold-out Croke Park, but when a converted Tom Seabrook try brought the Saints back to within three points, the home fans began to fear a harrowing sequel to La Rochelle's heroics.
A return to action for Garry Ringrose, who has not played since the Six Nations, on Saturday would further strengthen Cullen's hand.And having taken a heavily rotated squad to South Africa for defeats by the Lions and Stormers last month, the Leinster boss has, like in previous years, made no bones about which competition he is prioritising.
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