'Too high a mountain' for Leinster as Bordeaux lift Champions Cup

ByAndy Gray

BBC Sport NI writer astatine San Mames Stadium, Bilbao

Leinster travelled to Bilbao with dreams of a 5th European prima to adhd to their badge.

They had hoped for redemption successful the Basque city, the tract of their past Champions Cup triumph successful 2018, wherever they could hitch distant the symptom of their erstwhile 4 defeats.

However, aft being blown distant by a superb Bordeaux show successful the archetypal half, this 1 volition arguably wounded much than most.

Players and unit had talked astir the "fine margins" of erstwhile last defeats, but connected Saturday the gulf could not person been clearer.

Tommy O'Brien crossed aboriginal but what followed was a show of powerfulness and poise, mostly dictated by Maxime Lucu, Mathieu Jalibert and Louis Bielle-Biarrey.

By the clip Yoram Moefana raced nether the posts aft intercepting Harry Byrne's walk astatine the extremity of the archetypal half, the crippled was done and dusted with Bordeaux starring 35-7.

Leinster improved aft the restart and Bordeaux weren't rather arsenic fluid, but the harm was done and the Top 14 broadside ran retired 41-19 winners.

"I deliberation a spot of a taxable of the play has been uncovering a way," skipper Caelan Doris told BBC Radio 5Live.

"We've been down respective times and there's been composure and uncovering a way, but contempt a bully effort successful the 2nd fractional it was excessively precocious a upland to climb."

For Bordeaux, it underlines their presumption arsenic 1 of the top sides successful nine rugby.

They made Leinster, a broadside comprised of 14 Ireland stars and 1 All Black successful Rieko Ioane, look mean successful the archetypal half.

Heading into the stadium their fans marched unneurotic successful song, with flags flying arsenic they weaved their mode done the historical streets of Bilbao.

Their players were besides successful unison from archetypal infinitesimal to past arsenic they won back-to-back European titles.

They go lone the sixth broadside to support the Champions Cup, and the mode of their triumph suggests they aren't slowing down immoderate clip soon.

"This squad is simply a large family. We are back-to-back champions and 1 of the best," Bielle-Biarrey said connected Premier Sports aft being named subordinate of the tourney with 9 tries to his name.

"We enactment a batch and it is truly nice. We are ever smiling, that is our mindset."

Given their caller success, Cullen added that "everyone volition beryllium going for Bordeaux" adjacent play to contradict the French broadside a- three-peat.

"They person done their back-to-back and they volition beryllium going for 3 successful a enactment to replicate what Toulon person done successful the past.

"Everyone volition beryllium chasing them arsenic they are intelligibly the champion squad successful the competition- close now."

He added that Bordeaux were amended astatine "split-second stuff" and their objective borderline made the difference.

"We knew it was going to beryllium a pugnacious situation and we knew we underdogs. They were favourites for a crushed and they were that spot amended than america today."

In the erstwhile 4 last defeats, 1 each astatine the hands of Saracens and Toulouse and 2 by La Rochelle, Leinster had stayed successful the combat for astir of the games.

That had led to the connection of the "fine margins" that had decided those finals, but Cullen was near to admit "the crippled got distant from us" arsenic Bordeaux raced clear.

"It's conscionable however the crippled played retired but it was antithetic to different finals, for sure," Cullen said.

"We'll spell done it, but it is simply a unit cooker retired there. It's frustrating, you privation to springiness a amended relationship of yourselves and person that ruthless mindset successful presumption of execution. We're not rather there, but recognition to Bordeaux."

While determination was much European heartbreak, Leinster's play is acold from over.

They big the Lions successful the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals, and volition beryllium 1 of the favourites to triumph that rubric contempt an indifferent season.

Cullen said "we person the accidental to crook the page" connected the home front.

"We'll not look excessively acold up close now, we'll absorption connected the review.

"It would beryllium a bully happening to spell aft and immoderate clip you triumph a trophy it needs to beryllium celebrated, truthful it would inactive beryllium a occurrence if we could inactive triumph a trophy."

But for present they person to lick their wounds and regroup quickly.

"It's not similar we're a cardinal miles away. I cognize determination was a decent spread successful the scorelines but if you bespeak connected the crippled and the stats successful the game, it's a reflection of however objective Bordeaux were," Cullen added.

"The velocity successful however they bash things is precise impressive. That's the spot we request to get after.

"We request to bespeak arsenic a group, instrumentality banal connected however we determination guardant arsenic a group. We weren't bully capable contiguous but each twelvemonth determination are things we volition effort and spell after."