Joey Carbery returnsOfficial word has arrived of the long-suspected yet previously unannounced return of Joey Carbery to his home province of Leinster.Carbery, who was part of Bordeaux’s group in Bilbao but unavailable due to an ACL injury, is out of contract at the end of this season after two years in France. Joey Carbery ahead of Saturday's Champions Cup final. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Asked after Saturday’s defeat about Ciarán Frawley, who heads to Connacht next season, head coach Leo Cullen confirmed Carbery has agreed to return to Leinster. “We tried to keep Ciarán as well, there’s no secret about that,” Cullen told Off the Ball. “Although I just saw Joey Carbery out there, and on the flip side Joey is coming in. “[It’s] not confirmed, but yes, at some point that will get released.”Later asked about Cullen’s comments, Carbery said: “If he’s saying it, then yeah, I suppose it is. Not sure if it’s confirmed, but looking forward to coming back.”Beer soaked in Bilbao The EPCR, organisers for the Champions Cup, were left aghast over the carnage caused by some members of the Bordeaux squad after winning their second consecutive title. The post-match press conference was originally attended by prop Jefferson Poirot, head coach Yannick Bru and player of the match Maxime Lucu, only for a sizeable group of their team-mates to hijack proceedings as the first question was being asked.Some players saw clothing as optional, shirts well and truly off. Matthieu Jalibert went the other way, dancing around in his skivvies while wearing the Lion’s head of Bordeaux’s club mascot. Ben Tameifuna donned ski goggles to protect his eyes from the beer being thrown about the place, while Cameron Woki made sure the victors were in no doubt, slinging a WWE-style championship belt across his shoulder.Once all the beer they could carry was dumped on to the press-conference trio (and a few journalists in the front-row splash zone), the group eventually cleared, chanting “Lucu, président” on their way out. At the time, the display seemed to be well received by those present. The photographers certainly got their money’s worth. However, hours later, long after chanting had been replaced by the din of tapping keyboards in the press room, a group of EPCR staff returned to survey the scene. The top table remained soaked as the stench of now stale beer lingered. Conscious of returning the San Mames’ plush media area to Athletic Club Bilbao, staff were concerned that some audio equipment may have been damage. The word “bill” was also used. It was also said that measures would be taken next year to ensure the victors could not repeat the dose. Is rugby cool again? While it may remain to be seen how keen Bilbao is to welcome back boisterous rugby players, there is no doubt that EPCR have struck rugby gold with these destination final weekends.Sometimes these cities aren’t the most straightforward to get to, but if you can, early summer sunshine combined with the continental outdoor food and drink culture is a big win.Anywhere that is remotely accessible for French fans and gives them an excuse to take over a city – as two games in as many days does – only adds to the pageantry. The significant number of Bordeaux fans was certainly helped by Bilbao only being a four-hour drive away. Yet there is an inescapable sense that they have an energy as a club that should be the envy of all rivals.Bordeaux's Benjamin Tameifuna celebrates in the dressingroom after the Champions Cup final. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho Winning certainly helps. As do superstar players. Monsieurs Jalibert and Bielle-Biarrey are eminently marketable, but Big Ben Tameifuna was received just as, if not more, warmly by the club’s fans.Rugby in France, Bordeaux in particular, is cool. It has achieved cultural cut-through. In true American sports style, the celebratory clobber ready to go, Noel McNamara already wearing a ‘back-to-back’ T-shirt when walking through the mixed zone. That T-shirt, along with equivalent berets and cravats, are already available to purchase online. ‘Coolness’ is a difficult thing to define, and the second you try to copy it, you’re decidedly uncool. Still, it’s hard to remember when Irish rugby was seen in this light. Probably the 2023 World Cup when tickets were more accessible for a younger crowd able to travel to France.Captain hindsight for UlsterThe obvious thing for Ulster to do after their heavy defeat on Friday night was to look at the week before. Head coach Richie Murphy either rested or left on the bench a number of his front line players for their URC clash against Glasgow in Belfast. The 26-22 defeat saw them miss out on the top eight.Clearly, the move was with one eye on upsetting Montpellier in the Challenge Cup decider. Ulster are to be applauded for prioritising a chance at silverware, but the less sentimental approach would have focused on a home tie against Glasgow being an easier way of qualifying for the Champions Cup than a date with France’s second-best team in the sweltering Basque heat. The end result is a season which had promised so much but which has instead failed to deliver a URC knockout tie or top end European action next year. Jack Murphy with his father and head coach Richie Murphy after Ulster's defeat to Montpellier in the Challenge Cup final on Friday. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho “At the start of the season, if you told me we’d get 52 points in the league and we’d be in a European final with a chance to win it, I probably would have taken your hand off,” said Murphy after Friday’s defeat. “Fifty-two points has never not got into the top eight before.“The rugby we played, reaching a European final – obviously it was not the result that we wanted – all those things have had an impact on us making the top eight as well. Unfortunately we’ve had to move our resources around and at this moment in time our squad probably isn’t strong enough to be able to compete in two competitions and ultimately still get into the top eight.”Quiet refereesThis may not be the start of a positive trend just yet, but one thing that was conspicuous in its absence over the two finals was a lack of dramatic influence from the officials. On Friday night, there were no lengthy TMO interruptions. Saturday saw a few, Cameron Woki’s leaping finish in the corner ruled out a try to the fury of Bordeaux fans, while Ugo Boniface and Maxime Lucu both saw yellow cards after referee Karl Dickson went to his colleague in the truck.Leinster's Joe McCarthy is tackled by Bordeaux's Maxime Lucu. Photograph: Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images Woki aside – in real time, it was difficult to see his arm being in touch on the big screen in the stadium – none of those incidents seemed either controversial or game-defining. Bordeaux scored anyway shortly after the disallowed try, Lucu could have few complaints with a cynical jersey pull, while Boniface may have been fortunate to avoid more serious sanction. And Leinster won’t complain too much as the game was gone by that point. After the semi-finals weekend was dominated by sinister talk of TMOs being denied the footage required to do their job, this was a welcome break from hysteria surrounding officials.