Bernard Jackman's optimism is growing that Leinster could end their wait for their fifth Investec Champions Cup title this week.
Leo Cullen's side return to the Champions Cup decider once again on Saturday, as they take on last year’s winners Bordeaux-Begles in Bilbao.
This will be Leinster’s ninth time in the Champions Cup final, with the province winning each of their first four appearances in the decider in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2018, followed by agonising defeats in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Unlike most of their previous final losses, the URC champions head into this weekend as underdogs.
While that tag is largely down to Bordeaux’s electric attacking game, which has averaged six tries and 43 points per game in Europe this season, it’s also a reflection of a Leinster campaign that has stuttered at times.
Although the province have a 100% record in this year’s Champions Cup, they have suffered six defeats in the URC, including surprise defeats to Cardiff and Benetton.
Since booking their place in this Saturday’s final, two bonus-point wins against Lions and Ospreys have seen them climb up to second place in the URC.
And with some of their injury problems starting to ease, Jackman says he has been impressed with how the province have fine-tuned themselves in recent weeks.
"I think Leinster have come full circle," Jackman said on the RTÉ Rigby podcast.
Who is going to win the Champions Cup?? 🏆🏉
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 20, 2026
Bernard Jackman has gone full circle... and now he's backing Leinster to beat Bordeaux 👀
🗣️ 'Leinster are just peaking at the right time and Bordeaux are looking human' 🎙️#rterugbypodcast #rtesport pic.twitter.com/siB92iWcMC
"There's been a lot to like about how Leinster have been defending over the last three or four weeks.
"The energy, the power in their ball-carrying, the form of certain players, like Joe McCarthy stepping up, Hugo Keenan coming in fresh obviously and hitting the ground running. The competition between Robbie Henshaw, Jamie Osborne, Rieko, James Lowe being fit.
"I know Tommy O’Brien has a knock, but Jimmy O’Brien’s form has been really good as well and he'd probably miss out on the 23 [if Tommy is fit].
"So yeah, Leinster have just peaked at the right time."
While Jackman believes Leinster are showing signs of timing their run, he thinks the defending champions have also shown some vulnerability in recent weeks.
Last weekend, Yannick Bru’s side battled to a 37-32 win against 13th place Perpignan, thanks to two more tries from wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey, while they are a modest fifth in the Top14 table with two rounds of the regular season to play.
"Bordeaux are actually looking human in terms of recent results," Jackman added.
"So yeah, there's a nice momentum. It's going to be a brilliant game and certainly Bordeaux are worthy favourites because they have the best form but just there's a lot to like about Leinster recently."
The former Leinster and Ireland hooker believes the province’s URC schedule has had a big say in how they have been able to time their run better towards the business end of the season.
Unlike previous years, Leinster’s URC trip to South Africa came in the opening rounds of the campaign, rather than after the Six Nations in March and April.
And while the defeats they shipped to the Stormers and the Bulls contributed to a poor start to the season, he believes they are feeling the benefit when it matters.
"Interestingly, I know that Leinster had lobbied the URC, quite strongly, for at least a season, that they didn't want to go to South Africa when they had been going [in previous years]," Jackman said.
"So if you remember, Leinster always got a fast start, and then the frontliners stayed at home leading into knockout rugby to prepare for the knockout rugby season.
"And that's not good, to split your squad. I understand completely why they did it. You don't want to put mileage on your best players at the time of year when most of them have already played a Six Nations and November series and helped you qualify for those knockout stages.
"It meant that for the last four or five weeks, post Six Nations, Leinster have had all the group together and they look better for it.
"There were seven, what I think could be starters, against the Ospreys, and they looked like a team who were very cohesive. They got game time under the belt. The ones who didn't play, played the previous week.
"But now they can just go to play Bordeaux in Bilbao and go in there with a bit of momentum, a bit of confidence.
"Obviously, lots of top class talent, but probably feeling pretty good about themselves."
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Follow a live blog of Ulster v Montpellier in the Challenge Cup final (Friday, 8pm) and Leinster v Bordeaux-Begles in the Champions Cup final (Saturday, 2.45pm) on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app.
Listen to live commentary of the Champions Cup final on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
