Leinster in ‘best place’ ahead of Toulouse semi-final

The Irish province are aiming to equal Toulouse’s record of five titles in EPCR’s elite competition after falling narrowly short in the final last year.

Leinster marched to an impressive 40-17 victory over Toulouse in last season’s semi-finals, but Conan believes his side are coming into this year’s game even better equipped.

However, he was also keen to acknowledge the quality the TOP 14 heavyweights possess and how they will have learned from that 2022 defeat.

“They’re an unbelievable side, absolutely fantastic,” the Ireland international said. “The way they play the game is brilliant, the forward pack they have and the speed and the X-factor they have in the back line.

“We’ve relished the opportunity to face them over the past few years. To play them at home, at the Aviva again, hopefully in front of a sell-out crowd, is going to be massive for us.

“I think the lads are really excited about the challenge. We want to beat the best to win this competition and they’re right up there with the best club sides in the world.

“They’ve got danger men all over the park, we talk about Dupont and what he can do, but it really is one to 23, they have incredible athletes all over the place.

“We have to be at our utmost best and that’s what we’re building for. The lads are really excited for the challenge.

“Hopefully we get a decent day for it, and we can be at our best. I think we’re in the best place we’ve ever been to go and do it.

“I know we’ve had success over the past few years against them and obviously losses as well, but they’ve be better for the game last year at the Aviva and they’ll probably change up a few things, with how to defend.

“It’ll be a different challenge altogether compared to what we’ve faced over the past few years.”

One reason behind Conan’s thinking that this version of Leinster is a more well-rounded team is that they have been competing with South African teams in the BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) for almost two seasons now

“With South African teams they’re probably a bit more in that mould [of TOP 14 teams],” he explained. “They play more attritional rugby compared to the fast-paced style you’d get from the original URC teams.

“It definitely has helped us. I think we’ve matured a lot as a group, the coaching staff have matured a lot. We’ve taken a lot of lessons. You wish you hadn’t needed to learn all those lessons but it’ll make us better, and it has made us better.

“For example, playing against Leicester [in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals], a massively attritional side in the way they play the game, and to go and beat them in the fashion that we did, not always playing great rugby.”