Leinster will be hoping to finally add that fifth star to their jersey this weekend as they face Toulouse in the Champions Cup final this weekend in London.
This will be the third consecutive final for Leo Cullen's side, with the Boys in Blue falling short to La Rochelle right at the death in the last two finals after holding a leads for most those games.
In their run to this year's final, Leinster breezed through Leicester Tigers in the round of 16 before finally getting one over on La Rochelle in the quarter-finals. But a nervy end in their semi-final victory over Northampton Saints in Croke Park has cast worry on if Leinster still have the bottle to win big games.
We spoke to Ulster and Ireland legend and Ladbrokes ambassador Stephen Ferris in the lead up to the European decider in the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, with the Ulsterman expecting a 'belter' of a match between Europe's two most successful clubs.
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Stephen Ferris: Leinster have 'got to keep the foot down'
20 May 2024; Harry Byrne, right, during a Leinster Rugby squad training session at UCD in Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
For Ferris, the mental battle will be the most important part of winning the final with both sides being on the losing side in big games in recent years.
Ferris emphasised that Leinster will have to not let previous matches get into their heads if they fall behind late and allow Toulouse to chip away at their lead like in previous finals.
'You never think about it as a player, you're never like 'oh jeez we lost last year's final, oh jeez, you know, there's a lot of boys in this team who played for Ireland that got put out in the quarter-final (of the Rugby World Cup).
"You never ever think about that, but on 73 minutes on the clock and you're one point down, you might just ask yourself the question 'is this our day?' 'Is this meant to be for us or is it meant to be for Toulouse?'
"I'm not saying every single player in the Leinster or Toulouse team might be doing that, but there might be one or two and that's all it takes.
"It's going to be a belter on both sides of players who have played in big games in that big games and have lost. And I think that only adds to intrigue even more to see who has, let's just call it the bottle, you know, who has the bottle to go out and take this game by the scruff and go out and win it."
Ferris also emphasised that Leinster will have to be on their absolute best if they want to beat the Red and Black in London, and that the Leinster defence needs to be prepared and clinical for when Toulouse have the momentum in their favour.
'Leinster cannot go out and hold on to a 15 or 20 point lead and expect to get the same result as they did in the semi final, they've got to keep the foot down for 80 minutes.
"There will be purple patches of course for Toulouse, of course there will, and there might be more purple patches for Toulouse. And that's where Jacques Nienabar defence has to come up and in and smash absolutely everything in its way.
"Create turnovers, create chaos, Will Connors, that's what he's in the team to do. So, you know, every opportunity be clinical and hopefully it can come back to Leinster.
"I really want Leinster to do it because I feel like they have been the best side in the tournament this year."
Ultimately, Ferris believes Leinster will become European kings for the fifth time on Saturday, with the Boys in Blue's recent track record against Toulouse being a factor. Ladbrokes currently have Leinster as a close favourite to win at odds of 4/5, with Toulouse backed at 11/10.
'I think it's going to be extremely close, but I do feel that Leinster just have Toulouse's number, and especially with the hammering that they give them last year or the year before in the semi-final or quarter-final. There's been so many games have lost track but yeah, it just feels like they have their number and we'll wait and see how it goes."
You can watch Leinster v Toulouse on RTÉ2 or on TNT Sports 1 this Saturday May 25th, with kick-off scheduled for 2:45pm.
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