Jamison Gibson-Park believes Leinster can't allow themselves to be dictated by the past, ahead of tomorrow’s Investec Champions Cup final against Bordeaux-Begles in Bilbao (2.45pm Irish time).
While the San Mames Stadium brings back happy memories for the province, who won the most recent of their four titles in this city back in 2018, the Champions Cup decider has only brought pain since.
Having won each of their first four final appearances up to 2018, Leo Cullen’s side have lost all four of their title deciders since, including three in a row between 2022 and 2024.
They were red hot favourites to get back to the final last year, only to suffer a shock 37-34 defeat to Northampton Saints at Aviva Stadium in the semis, and while they have cleared all of their hurdles this season, they had a late wobble in their semi-final win against Toulon, where they held on for a 29-25 win, despite leading by 18 points with just over 10 minutes to play.
After that game, head coach Leo Cullen admitted part of his side were playing with "tension" during those final stages, as the magnitude of their Champions Cup "obsession" began to weigh on them.
And his scrum-half agrees that it has been an issue in the past.
"I suppose part of that is just doing your best to stay present," Gibson-Park (below) said, ahead of tomorrow’s final.
"I think maybe it’s something we’ve struggled with in the past, getting too caught up in the occasion.
"But I think we’ve had enough shots at it now to understand what the week looks like, that kind of thing. So, you can just build into it and ultimately, it’s a game of footy.
"It’s cup rugby, so particularly when you’re up against the likes of Bordeaux, you’ve got to go out there and give it a crack. We’re doing our best to do that on the weekend, for sure.
"The past is the past, we have to be rid of that, you just have to go out there and attack the game. Hopefully it puts us on the right side of the result, but ultimately it’s the process, and one that I think we’ve done pretty well up until now."
Although Gibson-Park says he and his team-mates will be forgetting about the past, that’s not strictly true.
While they will be blocking out the bad memories, they will be leaning into their previous experience in Bilbao back in 2018.
The scrum-half was only in his second season at the province, and back-up to Luke McGrath for the final eight years ago, among nine of the current Leinster squad who played in that 15-12 win against Racing 92.
"There are some pretty cool photos of it, kind of all the lads getting up to put the pressure on [the drop-goal], and just hoping it would go out, it's a pretty cool way to finish it up.
"I just remember the tension. It was proper cup footy and we were able to get the job done, so yeah, pretty fun memories.
"It feels like it's flown by since the last time we were there," he added.
With that in mind, it may be no harm that the province are coming into the game as underdogs.
Defending champions Bordeaux have had the tougher route on paper with knockout wins against Toulouse and Bath, but Yannick Bru’s side have still been able to average six tries per game enroute to the decider, with the ability to bash it up the middle or spread it wide to their speedsters, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud.
"You just have some unbelievable footballers [in Bordeaux], whereas you probably think about, here in Ireland - not that they’re not a team- but we have a pretty big focus on our team game.
"But some of those [Bordeaux] lads, when they get the ball in their hands, they’re working magic, and it’s pretty awesome to watch.
"They’ve got a certain number of French internationals, but as well as that, they’ve got Salesi Rayasi, a Fijian boy who played for the Canes [Hurricanes], who’s a pretty impressive athlete, and big Ben Tameifuna [below] off the bench.
"They’re the full package, and it’s going to be tough for us, but we will look forward to it."
Gibson-Park is one of 12 British and Irish Lions who could feature for Leo Cullen this Saturday, as well captain Caelan Doris, who would have been on last year’s tour only for injury.
And having pulled off a spectacular second Test win at the MCG to win the series last summer, the New Zealand-born Ireland international is hoping to draw on those experiences.
"When you get over the line in those kinds of games, it’s a pretty good feeling. We really stuck at it, and were able to get the job done.
"As the lads said after, it felt that we had been there before, and it was a matter of 'just keep attacking the game, keep going at them, and we will come out on the right side of the result’, and that’s what we did."
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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.
