Recent Champions Cup final losses don't add pressure, insists Leinster's Ross Byrne

Ross Byrne doesn't believe there is any additional pressure on Leinster shoulders despite losing their previous three Champions Cup finals.

Leo Cullen’s men face off with five-time winners Toulouse, who last lifted Europe’s premier trophy in 2021, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday (2.45pm, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player).

Leinster’s last success of four came in 2018 against Racing 92, while they have lost finals to Saracens (2019), and La Rochelle (2022, 2023) since that day in Bilbao.

"No, I don’t think so," the Ireland out-half told RTÉ Sport when asked whether there is any extra expectation after those defeats.

"Every final has its own pressure. For us it’s just trying to go out there and put in the best performance we can.

"We’ve great experience as a group going into a final, and the last couple of knock-out games, it’s nothing too different in terms of preparation.

"[The Champions Cup] means a hell of a lot. It’s an incredible special competition.

"As a kid growing up, we would have watched it every year. I was fortunate enough to go to a few finals and watch Leinster winning.

"For so many of us, we’ve grown up supporting this team and watching them winning European Cups, so it does make it extra special for us

"I think it’s quite unique to have so many players playing the for club they grew up supporting so it really is a special competition for us."

Leinster come into the game off the back of a third URC loss in four games, which sees them sit in third place with one game remaining.

The 29-year-old, who didn’t play in the 23-21 loss to Ulster, admitted he was surprised at the amount of basic errors that the team made across the 80 minutes.

"It’s a little bit surprising but it’s a very tough place to go," he said of