Hugo Keenan had just two senior club appearances to his name the last time Leinster conquered Europe and looked on with pride as Isa Nacewa and his team-mates lifted the trophy in Bilbao.
Still in the academy back in 2018, Keenan and the rest of the younger cohort based themselves in the Bective Rangers clubhouse to witness the hard-fought 18-15 success over Racing 92, a game played on a grey day and a downpour in Euskadi.
His breakthrough season came in 2019/20 when he featured in their Champions Cup quarter-final loss to Saracens on the wing and also won his first two Ireland caps.
More Euro heartache followed with Keenan an ever-present at full-back for the defeats in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 finals and the 2021 and 2025 semi-finals.
"I was still in the academy, still annoyed that we weren't flown over for the occasion," Keenan told RTÉ Sport with a smile after yesterday's semi-final win against Toulon , which sets up a return to the Sam Mames in three weeks' time.
"I think we were in Bective watching it as an academy group in the rugby club as far as I can remember.
I remember watching the celebrations and being so proud of the group.
"It was a case where I had aspirations to break into the first team.
At that stage, I had only a couple of caps.
It was sort of a first taste of what it could be like and that's been a huge motivator.
"Obviously, I haven't gotten my hands on the trophy since and it's a big personal goal.
"It's a big squad goal and it has been for the last number of years.
"We're going to do our all to muster up that spirit of Bilbao from 2018.
Any little advantages that the squad and lads back then in it, because there's still a bit of carryover from it, we'll take."
While Leinster went into those games listed above as favourites, they are unlikely, given the nature of their run to the decider, to be fancied should champions Bordeaux-Begles prevail against Bath in today's other semi-final at the Stade Atlantique Bordeaux Métropole (3pm).
While it might provide a different dynamic building into the decider, Keenan says they won't focus on that aspect.
"I know we'll be just looking at it from our point of view about getting our performance right, about making sure that we turn up on the day.
"We're not too concerned whether we're underdogs or favourites.
We're going to be believing in our group and our squad and our coaches' plans, players' plans.
"That's going to be what we're going to be building towards over the next two or three weeks leading up to it.
"We'll look forward to watching the game tomorrow and seeing who we're going to be facing against, two top-class sides.
The final, it's always going to be tough.
"It's such a tough competition, as we've learnt over the last couple of years.
To get there, you're always going to be facing someone very, very good with top-class talent and strength and depth."
Leinster have endured an up and down season and yesterday's 29-25 win over Toulon was a similar rollercoaster.
While they never trailed, they let an 18-point lead in the 69th minute slip to just four and needed a late intervention by Rieko Ioane to prevent what would have been a fourth try for the visitors with time running out.
"We know we let them back in towards the end of the game," added the British and Irish Lions back.
"We know if a bounce of the ball or a pass went for them at the end there that we could be standing here on the wrong side of the result.
"So there's definitely lessons to be learned around how to manage the game in those last 15 minutes.
"Maybe we took our foot off the gas a little bit and yeah, Bordeaux or Bath, whoever it will be, will be a serious challenge.
"Finals are all about those sort of little moments in the last five or 10 minutes and we have to learn from the previous losses or situations that we've been in.
"So yeah, it's good.
It's sort of been another bit of an ugly win at the end but a win's a win and we're exactly where we want to be, so that's the main thing.
"[We're] absolutely delighted.
It’s exactly what we set out to get to at the start of the season and it’s been an up and down one so far but we got there and that’s the main thing.
"It wasn’t all pretty today but we’re absolutely delighted, we’re excited as a squad and looking forward to Bilbao now."
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Source: This article was originally published by RTÉ News
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