"They demolished us in the final. It's just got that feeling for me."
Stephen Ferris came out and said it, almost everyone else is thinking it, but Leinster can't afford to let that mentality seep in.
They won't.
The former Ireland back row was, of course, referring to the 2012 Heineken Cup final when Ulster fell under the Leinster wheels.
The Blues are on the verge of equalling the record for most European title wins should they add the Champions Cup to their three Heineken Cup triumphs with victory over Racing 92 tomorrow (4.45pm Irish).
Here is the team to represent Leinster in tomorrow's #ChampionsCup Final at the San Mamés stadium against Racing 92. #JoinTheRoar #LEIvR92 pic.twitter.com/lPDVzNDRa4
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) May 11, 2018
They are heavily fancied to join Toulouse as four-time winners and there is a mountain of evidence that points in that direction.
So far Leinster have accounted for the teams top of the three feeder competitions: Montpellier top in France, Exeter lead in England, Glasgow at the front of the line in the Pro14, even when both conferences are combined.
And that was just the pool business. Come knock-out stage, the current back-to-back champions, Saracens, and Pro14 title holders Scarlets were both summarily dismissed. Their ruck/maul win rate in the last two games is 99%, not too shabby.
Forming the backbone of the victorious Ireland Grand Slammers, an unwavering self-belief courses through the Leinster collective. On their game they are a sight to behold.
If pride and passion led Munster to their two titles, if hurt and determination were key aspects of Leinster’s three stars, then the current crop is defined by a cold, calculated methodology, machine-like as they crush all before them, James Ryan, Tadhg Furlong and Scott Fardy just three of the standouts in an irresistible forward pack.
Behind them Johnny Sexton is right at the top of his game and should he motor as he has to date then Racing, his club from 2013-2105, are in for a long day.
They know this too and given French teams' history with the Ireland out-half then Wayne Barnes, reffing his second final, will be asked to clamp down immediately on those early completely accidental late hits on Sexton.
Only Saracens in 2015/16 won all their games on the way to the prize and Leo Cullen's side are on the verge of repeating that feat.
Leinster have never been beaten in their three appearances in a final, while Racing 92 lost in their only previous showing, the 2016 defeat to Sarries.
Racing’s path to the magnificent San Mames in Bilbao has not been as smooth.
Beaten twice in the pool stages, by Munster and Castres, the subsequent knock-out wins over Clermont (away) and Munster in Bordeaux has the Paris outfit on an upward trajectory.
Whether Leinster are within the reach is another story. Cullen’s men have maintained their form throughout and are on another plain.
It’s hard to know exactly how good Racing, who finished second in the Top14, are from the win over Munster. They had done their homework, got the heavy lifting out of the way early, and could afford to sit back and soak up whatever the Reds could offer.
For their part Munster looked collectively fatigued and when things were going wrong, they didn’t keep their cool. The decision-making was poor and the execution dreadful.
Although the margin was just five at the end, Racing looked as if they could have gone up a gear if required.
"We put the foot to the floor," said Donnacha Ryan after. "A lot of effort went into the first half and we said we'd hang on."
There is a train of thought that suggests that all Leinster have to do is contain them for the first half and let them run out of steam but that wasn't the case in the quarter-final.
Perhaps more can be gleamed from their power-play win over Clermont.
Everything was going according to script with the hosts leading with 17 minutes to play. On came Dan Carter, again on the bench, and the game turned, eventually 11 points separated the teams.
"Their biggest strength is their individuals," says Bernard Jackman, a 2009 winner. The opposite, of course, applies to their opponents.
The loss of Maxime Machenaud is massive. Racing are without one of their main men – imagine Leinster without Sexton and that’s how big the hole is.
A nominee for the European Player of the Year – alongside Leone Nakarawa, Sexton, Fardy and Furlong – the scrum-half has been at the heart of their run to the final.
His absence, after suffering a knee injury on Top 14 duty, is a loss to the occasion but more so to the Parisians’ aspirations.
Teddy Iribaren is his replacement, while experienced hooker Dimitri Szarzewski is also out after suffering a bicep injury against Munster.
Leinster are without Fergus McFadden, Sean O’Brien and Josh van der Flier but Rhys Ruddock is fit enough for a place on the bench.
Jordan Larmour makes just his second start on the right wing, with the eligibility rule going against James Lowe again.
With Luke McGrath, who had a heavily strapped right leg in the captain's run, just back from an ankle injury Jamison Gibson-Park is required as the scrum-half's back-up.
Cullen, as you would expect, made all the right noises at the press conference and played down the suggestion that the province's three stars' worth of experience would count in their favour.
Well, it counts for something and when you add in the rest it only adds up to Leinster justifying their 10-point favourites tag. This machine won't be stopped.
Follow Leinster versus Racing 92 in the Champions Cup final via our live blog on RTÉ.ie and the News Now App from 4pm, or listen to live coverage on RTÉ Radio 1 as Saturday Sport comes from Bilbao.
