Between them, they’ve become relative veterans at this lark.
Leo Cullen was captain for Leinster’s three Champions Cup triumphs in 2009, 2011 and 2012 and this will be his fourth final as a head coach, having been a winner in 2018 and a beaten finalist in 2019 and last season.
Ronan O’Gara, his one-time Irish team-mate, was the out-half in Munster’s 2006 and 2008 wins and is contesting his third final in succession as head coach with La Rochelle. That’s a dozen finals as player or coach between them.
Press conferences
So, while the expectancy to deliver, especially on Leinster, has been intensified this week, Cullen and O’Gara welcomed the pressure that comes with the terrain on their eve-of-match press conferences.
“Pressure is a funny thing, isn’t it? Everyone is nervous because they want to do their best. It’s such an amazing tournament, isn’t it? There’s a real privilege to be here. I can’t wait to see them play and deliver something close to their best. That’s all we can do. Pressure is a good thing, that’s what we want, we want to be here,” said Cullen.
“It’s a pressure, but the most positive pressure we can ask for. We hope we’ll have a big turnout of supporters; we hope everyone gets behind the team. It was very hard to get to Marseille last year for Leinster supporters, we were very appreciative of the group that were there. We were walking through the airport after the game, and the disappointment on so many people’s faces. But we’re here again at this stage, and that’s where we want to be,” added Cullen, noting that they’d have gratefully accepted the offer of a home final in the aftermath of last season’s loss.
“I think back to that final in 2013 when we didn’t qualify from the pool stages, so we were playing in the Challenge Cup final and two French teams were in the final that week, Toulon against Clermont. Everyone was asking the question at the time, would we ever be able to beat these French giants?”
Wearing a red zip-up top, O’Gara explained that he has a choice of three colours, but with the turquoise “in the wash”, he wore red for the Captain’s Run and will be wearing green on match day.
“Essentially strategy has a role tomorrow but the big emphasis for us is performing to our standards, having fun, challenging yourself,” said O’Gara. “It won’t be easy, it never is easy, but there’s a certain delight or enjoyment factor when you go into the lion’s den. We are going in there tomorrow and we’ll either grow or shrink. What I’ve seen from my boys is they love it, they care for each other, they’ve prepared all season for this game and it’s to be attacked than be feared.”
‘Ready to go’
He added: “As a player, I would have been damn nervous, as a coach I’m extremely excited about it. Where else do you want to be? It’s a Heineken Cup final in Dublin and we’re ready to go … As a player, he was very intelligent and the ruthless side of our game is that one of us is going to be happy tomorrow night, the two of us can’t be.
“What’s different from the final last year? That would be Andrew Goodman who I coached in the Crusaders. He’s very, very smart. I know he has something up his sleeve or two, he always does. He’s got a good mentality that he’ll laugh about it before and after the event. He either rubs salt in my wound or we have the solution for his play, that’s the enjoyment of it. This is where you want to be.”
