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The Champions Cup trophy in London. Billy Stickland/INPHO

Leinster's showdown with Toulouse promises to be thrilling, tense affair

The Irish province have wrongs to right but Toulouse have a score to settle.

TOULOUSE ARRIVED ONTO the pitch yesterday with the hulking figure of Joe Tekori leading the way and wheeling a club-branded speaker behind him, the hip hop tune โ€˜Red Kingdomโ€™ blaring from it at full blast.

With the French clubโ€™s array of stars โ€“ Dupont, Ntamack, Baille, Meafou โ€“ strutting behind Tekori, it made for quite the entrance.

Tekori is a former Toulouse player who now works as a bag man for the club, one of many examples of how les Toulousains keep things in-house. Their entire coaching team are ex-Toulouse players, as are the president and many of the backroom staff.

Les rouge et noir are proud of their culture, history, and playing DNA. No one has won as many as their five European Cups and itโ€™s fitting that todayโ€™s opponents in the Champions Cup final, Leinster, are next best on four. This decider [KO 2.45pm, RTร‰/TNT] promises to be enthralling.

The Irish province have caused Toulouse agony in this competition in recent years, beating them in Dublin in the semi-finals in 2022 and 2023. Ugo Molaโ€™s side certainly have a score to settle here, even if theyโ€™ve insisted this isnโ€™t specifically about beating Leinster, just about claiming the trophy.

As their entrance song laid out, the challenge for Molaโ€™s men is to make the modern, steep-standed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium their Red Kingdom today. Leinster hope the travelling Blue Army will give this exciting venue an altogether different feel.

Once Toulouse got into yesterdayโ€™s captainโ€™s run, they were the picture of a calm team. The backs played a game of 7-a-side football and even in a different sport, their star quality was hard to miss. If Leinster give this Toulouse team chances on turnover or if their defence isnโ€™t on tune, Dupont and co. will shred them. There are threats everywhere, from rampaging hooker Peato Mauvaka to daring 21-year-old centre Paul Costes.

peato-mauvaka Toulouse at their captain's run yesterday. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

A little earlier yesterday, Leinster had been to visit the old White Hart Lane. There was no booming music but there was a steely look in many eyes. Some of them strode past the Champions Cup trophy which sat on the touchline without a glance. As they warmed up, you noted the number of elite players in their ranks โ€“ Sheehan, Porter, Furlong, Doris, Gibson-Park, Henshaw, Keenan, and more. Their 23 is stacked with quality.

You sense that the challenge for Leinster this week has been to keep things as relaxed as possible. The memories of losing the last two Champions Cup finals to La Rochelle can be a driving force if channelled in the right way, but Leinster are correct to insist this final isnโ€™t just about righting wrongs.

โ€œI suppose youโ€™re running towards the opportunity to do something special with your best mates and a very close group,โ€ is how captain Caelan Doris put it.

โ€œOur supporters have been unbelievable, so to do it in front of all of them who are travelling over would be unbelievable.

โ€œSo youโ€™ve got that side of things pulling you forward and then youโ€™ve got the hurt and the thought back to the dressing rooms over the last couple of years, and the feelings waking up on that Sunday and Monday in particular.

โ€œYou donโ€™t want to feel that again. We spoke about it at the start of the week, if we cast our minds back to that feeling post-games in the last two years, how youโ€™d give anything to have this opportunity again at the start of the week to build towards it, to leave no stone unturned in our preparation to have that mindset.โ€

Meanwhile, Leinster boss Leo Cullen wondered whether the last two games against Toulouse are a factor at all.

caelan-doris Leinster captain Caelan Doris. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

โ€œAre they relevant?โ€ he asked. โ€œItโ€™s a new day. The 23s, yeah there are some similarities but there are some differences as well. Itโ€™s a new group and thatโ€™s the beauty of the sport, the unpredictability of sport is amazing.โ€

Well said. For that reason, the unpredictability of it, today promises to be thrilling. Or nerve-wracking and tense if youโ€™re in a blue jersey or a red and black jersey. Itโ€™s a tough one to call, with even the bookies sitting on the fence. 

The widespread expectation is that it will go down to the wire and Leinster are hoping their 6/2 bench, which includes top-end forwards like James Ryan, Jack Conan, Rรณnan Kelleher, and Josh van der Flier, will give them the energy to finish strong.

Conditions are set to be ideal, the forecast predicting a dry afternoon with a temperature of around 20ยฐC. Finals can be fraught but both of these teams can play when theyโ€™re in the mood and you sense that referee Matthew Carley will be keen to let things flow.

If thatโ€™s the case, weโ€™re in for a great rugby treat. Sadly, someone has to lose but success will be sweeter than ever for the victors.

Leinster:

15. Hugo Keenan
14. Jordan Larmour
13. Robbie Henshaw
12. Jamie Osborne
11. James Lowe
10. Ross Byrne
9. Jamison Gibson-Park 

1. Andrew Porter
2. Dan Sheehan
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Joe McCarthy
5. Jason Jenkins
6. Ryan Baird
7. Will Connors
8. Caelan Doris (captain)

Replacements:

16. Rรณnan Kelleher
17. Cian Healy 
18. Michael Alaโ€™alatoa
19. James Ryan
20. Jack Conan
21. Luke McGrath
22. Ciarรกn Frawley
23. Josh van der Flier

Toulouse: 

15. Blair Kinghorn
14. Juan Cruz Mallia
13. Paul Costes
12. Pita Ahki
11. Matthis Lebel
10. Romain Ntamack
9. Antoine Dupont (captain)

1. Cyril Baille
2. Peato Mauvaka
3. Dorian Aldegheri
4. Thibaud Flament
5. Emmanuel Meafou
6. Jack Willis
7. Franรงois Cros
8. Alexandre Roumat

Replacements:

16. Julien Marchand
17. Rodrigue Neti
18. Joel Merkler
19. Richie Arnold
20. Joshua Brennan
21. Paul Graou
22. Santiago Chocobares
23. Thomas Ramos 

Referee: Matthew Carley [RFU].

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    Mute Chris Mc
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    Jun 1st 2022, 1:52 PM

    Replace one warrior with another. Good.

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    Mute SPQH
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    Jun 1st 2022, 10:45 PM

    @Chris Mc: Seanie will right a few things ahead of next season.

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    Mute Trev
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    Jun 2nd 2022, 12:22 AM

    @Chris Mc: Iโ€™m sure you remember this quote from the 2017 Lions tour: Phil Gifford, from Stuff, who was critical of the Lions style of play in general, referred to Sean Oโ€™Brien as โ€œa flanker so tough and hard-edged heโ€™s basically a roll of barbed wire in boots.โ€ Great move by Leinster.

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    Mute Bgkph
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    Jun 1st 2022, 1:48 PM

    Great signing a great bit of business

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    Mute Tony Mcgrath
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    Jun 1st 2022, 5:46 PM

    No need to clean the toilets in cassidys

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    Mute Trevor Johnston
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    Jun 1st 2022, 10:47 PM

    @Tony Mcgrath: bit of an insulting remark from a Munster supporter. Check your own coaches for a similar problem.

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    Mute Gally Had
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    Jun 1st 2022, 1:47 PM

    He might play a few games even. Would love to see it

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    Mute CAMILA REMONA
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    Jun 1st 2022, 5:52 PM

    I thought he was taking the pee ;)

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    Mute Martin
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    Jun 1st 2022, 9:30 PM

    @CAMILA REMONA: bad news for the Dublin homeless

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    Jun 1st 2022, 2:12 PM

    Good project that hopefully works out

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    Jun 1st 2022, 5:11 PM

    Seamus replacing Leamy. I wonder could we persuade Isa to come back and replace Dr. Phil?

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    Jun 1st 2022, 9:31 PM

    RDS busy installing golden showers

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    Jun 2nd 2022, 1:20 AM

    Out with the old, in with the new!

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