The culmination of the European club rugby season is here, with Leinster hosting defending champions La Rochelle at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. Get the latest team news, kick-off times and more here!
Grand Final rematch
Saturday will mark the second season in succession that Leinster and La Rochelle will contest Europe’s most coveted prize, with last year’s final in Marseille going the way of the Top 14 outfit after a late try by Arthur Retière. It will also be Ronan O’Gara’s side’s third-straight Grand Final appearance, having gone down to Toulouse in 2021.
With the Dublin faithful behind them, Leinster have rightly been installed as heavy favourites to claim a record-equaling fifth Champions Cup crown, although it’s unlikely they will be overconfident heading into the decider given their shock 15-16 home URC semi-final defeat to Munster on the weekend.
Les Corsaires, who are just two-points and a single place behind leaders Toulouse on the domestic front, will also have a maiden Top 14 championship in their sights as well.
🗣"They've underachieved. That's the bottom line."
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) May 14, 2023
🗣"Ireland can get it done, why can't Leinster get it done?"
🗣"If they [lose to] La Rochelle, so many questions about them."
The Munster loss puts huge pressure on Leinster to beat La Rochelle in the Champions Cup final. pic.twitter.com/pzpY1Gumqj
Betting Odds
The Irish province understandably come into this game as favourites, as they did last year. And like last year’s edition of the competition, the Irish powerhouses brushed Toulouse aside with relative ease in the semi-final.
La Rochelle, meanwhile, cruised to a 47-28 win over the Exeter Chiefs in their semi-final. There will certainly be extra pressure on Leinster to lift the Champions Cup after their shock URC semi-final exit at the hands of Munster. Will the pressure get to Leo Cullen’s men or will they exact revenge on the French after last season’s defeat?
Hollywoodbets is giving Leinster a 9.5-point headstart in the handicap betting – very similar to what we saw last year. This might not be as one-sided as the handicap suggest, but the fact that Leinster are ‘at home’ should count in their favour.
Leinster 2/7 | Draw 22/1 | La Rochelle 28/100
Handicap
Leinster (-9.5) 9/10 | La Rochelle (+9.5) 9/10
When and where to watch
The Heineken Champions Cup final will be broadcast on SuperSport Grandstand (channel 201) at 17:45. You can catch the build-up from 17:00 on the same channel.
Aviva Stadium
The Aviva Stadium in Dublin will host its first final since Toulon’s 16-15 win over Clermont way back in 2013 and its second since the competition began in 1995.
There will be plenty from mainland Europe clad in yellow in the stands, but the Leinster support should outnumber them quite comfortably.
Teams TBA*
