Copy Paste Quotes

Leinster desperate to tear up Bordeaux’s script in Champions Cup final cauldron

With temperatures in the mid-30s expected, Leo Cullen’s side will need to be at their best to avoid another sad denouement to a French drama

There was a very different feel when Leinster last came to Bilbao for a Champions Cup final. In 2018 it was wet, grey and could have passed for Ballsbridge in March. Not so this time with temperatures in the mid-30s and another baking afternoon in store for their rendezvous with the warm – in every sense – favourites Bordeaux-Bègles.

When Leinster’s fair-skinned head coach, Leo Cullen, walked out for the eve-of-match captain’s run it was reminiscent of a David Attenborough film featuring a lone polar bear on a fast-melting iceberg. There will be no hiding place for heavy tight forwards, a factor exacerbated by the game kicking off in mid-afternoon. Apparently an evening slot was impossible for French TV because of a clash with – wait for it – the Cannes film festival closing ceremony.

Continue reading...

May 22, 2026 Champions Cup Leinster Bordeaux

Need the full article?

Use the dedicated news page for the summary, then jump straight to the original source when you want the complete story.