Played two, won two, and a man of the match award in last year's final.
Dillyn Leyds has a decent record against Leinster.
"I just had initiative to play a bit more and I didn’t want to get into my shell. I think once I managed to get my hands on the ball quite early and get a good number of touches it gave me a bit of confidence to do that throughout the match," the 30-year-old South African winger said when asked about his starring role in the 24-21 win in Marseille.
"It was a good day for me but I also think it was a good day for the team.
"Hopefully, from this weekend the same thing can happen, as a collective take the initiative and play a bit more rugby even though it is a final.
"We don’t want to go into our shells. We want to play the way we have been playing throughout the season."
Leinster will not only be smarting from last season’s loss but also have the baggage of Saturday’s 16-15 defeat to dearest rivals Munster in their system.
Former Stormers man Leyds, who has scored four tries in 14 Champions Cup games, expects Leo Cullen’s side to come out fighting.
"Like any team when you get beaten at home, especially in a knockout game, you take a bit of a hit," says the Springboks back, who won one of his ten caps against Ireland in 2017 (below).
"You want to come back firing shots early. You want to show maybe it was just a tough day as a team.
"We had similar situations this season in the Top 14 where we lost at home and the week leading up to the next game is all about training a bit of pride.
"They are a bunch of quality international players and they know how to react after a loss like that. I don’t think that with the final in a couple of days they will be focusing too much on what happened but how they can fix and react to this final."
Leyds interviewed for the job at La Rochelle on a virtual call with then-boss Jono Gibbs and Ronan O’Gara, who was an assistant back in late 2019 and has since led Stade Rochelais to their third final in a row.
On his first encounter with former Ireland and Munster out-half O'Gara, Leyds said: "I think it was pretty awkward for everyone involved because they were asking me questions about… they were more concerned about the type of guy I was within the locker room and off the field.
"They were saying we know your playing ability, so it was just a general conversation of my interests, the Dillyn Leyds off the field.
"I think everyone in the rugby world knows that ROG is the kind of guy who always wants to win. Every little thing, every small detail, nothing is not important to him.
"That’s what he has brought to this club. All we want to do is win and have that feeling every single time. Whether it’s a little battle in training or whether it’s getting into the kick-chase line or something like that – I think that’s the kind of mindset that he has brought here.
"Yes, we can have fun as a group off the field, there are certain times that we can joke and have a laugh, but when it’s time to do your job, do your job, and do it to the best of your ability.
"The direction the club is going now, you can see the kind of players we are attracting, guys want to be a part of this, and he has obviously done a hell of a lot for the club.
"The players and everyone involved really enjoyed working with him. He has obviously a long-term deal to stay with the club, so hopefully as a group we can continue to work hard, not just for him, but for each other, and hopefully put the club in a position where we can continue to win trophies."
Watch the Heineken Champions Cup final, Leinster v La Rochelle, on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Saturday from 4pm, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport or listen to live commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
