TWO OF THE Leinster back row lining out for today’s Champions Cup final meeting with Toulouse will be starting a Champions Cup final for the first time.
At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon, Van der Flier and Conan will both start on the bench while Doris – the starting blindside in those two La Rochelle finals – will take to the pitch with the number eight on his back, as Ryan Baird and Will Connors complete the back row. The Kildare man had another good outing as the defending champions were sent packing but then didn’t make the matchday squad for the semi-final clash with Northampton Saints, as Van der Flier returned at openside and Leinster reverted back to a 5/3 bench.Connors has been dogged by injury across his career yet it still feels remarkable that today will represent just his fourth ever appearance in the Champions Cup.
Baird has added pace to the Leinster back row and is best known for the trademark rampaging runs – with his superbly-taken second-half try a decisive moment in the quarter-final clash with La Rochelle. Their promotion to the starting team offers Leinster something different this year. While Connors didn’t feature in either of the La Rochelle finals, Baird came off the bench for the final 21 minutes in Dublin 12 months ago.At number eight, Doris is no stranger to such pressure occasions. The Ballina native played 66 minutes of the 2022 loss to La Rochelle and went the full 80 against Ronan O’Gara’s men at Aviva Stadium last year.
Doris has admitted he needed to hone his captaincy skills but looks fully comfortable in the role now.What supports them from the bench is just as exciting.