As a student of psychology, at one point in a 20-minute plus post-match press conference, Leinster captain Caelan Doris was asked, not unreasonably, how he and his team move on from defeats like this.Head coach Leo Cullen interjected: “We won our final last year. Were you at the final in Croke Park last year?” he added of their URC final win over the Bulls.In the immediate aftermath of this 41-19 loss to Bordeaux Bègles, that fine win had been lost in the ether and, such is the importance attached to the Champions Cup by Leinster, it didn’t seem like much of a consolation either. In any event, Doris said: “I admire the resilience of the group to keep knocking. I remember James Ryan said two years ago that when you strive to do great things and be in the latter stages of the tournament, you also risk being on the other side and feeling these emotions. “We’ve got a lot of strength in the group to keep coming back, to keep working hard during the season to get to these stages and I’ve got faith that we’re going to do the same again.“There’s still an opportunity to get silverware. The support of our fans, we’ll need them over the coming weeks,” Doris added, referencing the URC knockout stages in which Leinster have a home quarter-final against the Lions next Saturday.“There are guys like Lukey (McGrath), a few unique figures who are leaving us at the end of the season. That was a big motivation for us today, and we’ll roll into this week coming and do it for those guys.”Leinster's Caelan Doris appears dejected after the Investec Champions Cup final at the San Mames Stadium, Bilbao. Picture date: Saturday May 23, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ben Whitley/PA Wire.