Sheehan says Leinster ‘depth’ will be key

The Irish province crushed Stade Toulousain 41-22 in the semi-finals last Saturday and will play Stade Rochelais in the final in Dublin on May 20 – the team who defeated them in last year’s showpiece game.

With Leinster also involved in the BKT United Rugby Championship play-offs, Sheehan, who scored Leinster’s third try against Toulouse, explained that the next three weeks will be a huge squad effort.

“We’ve got four big games coming up and the likelihood of that same team being picked for the next four games is unlikely,” he noted.

“So that’s a great thing that Leinster have done. They’ve set up a squad that has huge depth in every position, so it shouldn’t be a problem if we lose a few long the way.

“It’s exceptional. For Charlie [Ngatai] particularly to come back after four months out and put in a performance like that [against Toulouse] is something special.

“And it’s something that we need to have throughout the squad, throughout the whole team, because you pick up bumps and bruises.

“The season we have had, the depth that we have in the squad [gives us more confidence].

“I think that our set-piece has been excellent so far this year. We are an improved squad. We have that winning mentality and hopefully now in a few weeks we will come fully prepped and be able to do the job.

“A big focus for us is making sure that we are peaking. There is plenty more in us. We want to peak here for the finals.”

Meanwhile, after grabbing a try brace against Toulouse, No.8 Jack Conan detailed the progress Leinster believe they have made in the past year and how hungry they are for a first Heineken Champions Cup title since 2018.

“Leinster Rugby prides itself on its European pedigree and we really haven’t been on the level in some regard in the last few years,” he stated. “We’ve fallen short a good few times, all the years really, but 2019 and last year in finals.

“We’re massively excited to right a few wrongs and the lads are in such a good mental headspace more than anything. There’s such clarity and calmness in everything we do.

“We’re able to stay neutral, stay in the moment and just focus on what’s in front of your face, be where your feet are and just worry about that.

“It’s great. We’ve taken a lot of learnings from the Irish set-up that we’ve implemented here. We’re not 100% at that level, but we’re pushing to be at that consistently. Our forward pack in particular has stood up over the last 12 months.

“I know we probably weren’t at the level last year in the La Rochelle final, but our maul and scrum have really come on in leaps and bounds.

“We’re in a great spot, super-excited and we are where we want to be.”