Keenan determined to make La Rochelle amends

Hugo Keenan, Leinster's Mr Dependable, feels he let himself down in last season’s Champions Cup final and is determined to put it right on Saturday.

The Ireland full-back was part of the losing side in Marseille when La Rochelle shocked the favourites to win their first ever Heineken Champions Cup.

Leinster had scored 47 tries in seven European games before the final but failed to cross the line in the 24-21 loss.

Keenan was the closest defender to Raymond Rhule when he scored the French side's first try but failed to lay a glove on the winger.

Fresh off the back of another stinging defeat, at home to Munster on Saturday, Leinster have a shot at revenge as the same pairing meet in Saturday's final at the Aviva Stadium [4.45pm, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player].

"On a personal level, I don’t think I performed in last year’s final," Keenan admitted on RTÉ's Against the Head.

"So getting individually myself right for that, there’s a few small things I’ve worked on over the last year. There have been learnings, not only from that game but a few losses that we did take.

"Collectively as well, we've looked back at the final and you've just got to use those experiences to drive you on.

"You can’t dwell on it too long but you can use that as extra motivation and bit of determination to go one step further this year."

Hooker Dan Sheehan [above left], who came on as a 14-minute replacement for Rónan Kelleher in last year's final, says defeat to Ronan O'Gara's side, who rested 12 frontliners in their loss to Montpellier at the weekend, still hurts.

The 24-year-old, who is likely to make his 16th Champions Cup appearance if named by Leo Cullen on Friday, said: "It was probably my first taste of a proper loss. I’ve been lucky to have been a few