Leinster will be fuelled by previous final defeats – Ian Madigan
Former Leinster and Ireland fly-half Ian Madigan has said stopping Toulouse and France scrum-half Antoine Dupont will be crucial to Leinster chances of winning the Champions Cup.
Leinster once again are in European club rugby’s showpiece final, as they take on fellow four-time winners Toulouse in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
After two final defeats in a row to Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle, Leo Cullen’s men will take on a Toulouse side who last won the competition in 2021.
Leading their side is Dupont, with the former world player of the year crucial to the French side’s chances of victory.
For Leinster, Jamison Gibson Park has been crucial in their European run, and has become a crucial player for both Leinster and Ireland.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s game, Madigan believes if Leinster can stop Dupont, they will win.
“I think the battle at scrum-half is a really interesting one. You have got in my opinion, the two best scrum half in the world going head-to-head in the final.
“Dupont in my opinion is the best player in the world. He has got the best skills, whether it is his passing game, kicking off both feet, his ability to sidestep and to wriggle out of tackles. He is actually incredible as a defender as well.
“It is not unthinkable that Dupont can get the better of Gibson Park on Saturday, and Leinster can still win, but if Gibson Park was to get the better of Dupont, I would be certain they would win.”
There is also a battle at 10, where Romain Ntamack will be outside of Dupont, and Ross Byrne likely to be at fly-half for Leinster.
While Byrne missed Ireland’s successful Six Nations campaign due to injury, he was crucial to Leinster’s win over La Rochelle in the quarter-final and Madigan is backing him to step up once again.
“I think the key for Ross Byrne is keeping himself involved in the game, and keep pulling the strings and keeping himself free.
“When I say involved in the game , I don’t necessarily mean carrying the ball in contact, I mean calling the ball on himself to make the right decisions. Whether he needs his forward pack to take the ball or there is space there for the backs to move the ball to width.
“I think that is when he is at his best, when his involvements are really high in the game, and I think that is when Leinster are firing on all cylinders.”
The attempt to claim a fifth European Cup has been a story of heartbreak for Leinster.
Since winning the 2018 title, they were defeated in the 2019 final to Saracens, and came up just short in the 2022 and 2023 finals to La Rochelle.
Despite this, Madigan says he would prefer to be in Leinster’s position heading into the final, with Leinster’s semi-final victories over Toulouse in the last two seasons a factor going into Saturday’s game.
“I would much rather be in Leinster’s position having beaten Toulouse the last two times, and beaten them well.
“I know for a fact that the scar that Leinster would have left over the last two semi-finals on Toulouse would be far deeper than Leinster losing the last two finals.
“Losing finals spurs you on to win, where as losing a semi-final to your opposition I think will have left a deep mark.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie