The disappointment cut as deeply the fourth time around. Hugo Keenan’s distress was evident in the pitchside images that emerged from San Mamés Stadium after Leinster’s Champions Cup final defeat to Bordeaux Bègles.Other senior Leinster squad members can console themselves that they experienced the joy of lifting the trophy in Bilbao in 2018. Keenan, however, didn’t feature in Leinster’s last final triumph in Europe.He made his debut for the province two years earlier, but it wasn’t until the 2020-21 season that he became a fixture at No 15. He has now played in four Champions Cup finals and lost them all.The pain he experienced 10 days ago was as acute as that first time against La Rochelle. “We were gutted, I was gutted,” said Keenan. “It means a lot to us, to the group.“We’ve got lads leaving. The likes of Luke McGrath, who’s been such an unbelievable servant, Will Connors, [Ciarán] Frawley, these lads who we wanted to do it for.“We wanted to do it for the fans who travelled over in such good numbers, who were even loud last weekend at the Lions game.“Individually, as a goal of mine, it’s always been something I’ve openly spoken to you guys about. So yeah, it’s just a tough one.“We just have to use that disappointment now in the right way. That’s what we did well last year, we pushed on from the semi-final loss [to Northampton in the Champions Cup].”Keenan missed the province’s subsequent URC title success – their first since 2021 – through injury. It was easy to pick up the hungry, desperate feeling that descended on Leinster HQ around this time last year as the province chased a degree of salvation.Hugo Keenan on his way to scoring Leinster's second try during last Saturday's comprehensive URC quarter-final victory against Lions at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho The shock Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton was in the rear-view mirror but, after three semi-final defeats since the Pro14 became the URC, the organisation needed to get a trophy win over the line.That desire was evident in the interviews given by a player group starved of the kind of success they had become accustomed to. Much to their relief, they got there in the end, beating the Bulls in the decider at Croke Park.Leinster had two regular-season URC fixtures to negotiate before coming through the playoffs after their Champions Cup exit.This term, they went into last Saturday’s URC quarter-final against Lions just seven days after losing the European decider. That emphatic 59-10 victory sets up the semi-final against Stormers this weekend.That’s a lot of knockout rugby to negotiate, but Keenan maintains the cliff-edge feeling isn’t the same this time around.“Yeah, we’re not looking that far ahead,” he said. “We’re not getting desperate and trying to overwhelm ourselves because it’s not the way you go about winning a trophy.“That’s probably what we’re thinking deep down but it’s a cliche, you just have to take it week by week.“You can’t get ahead of the Lions, just as we can’t get ahead of the Stormers this week. We know the quality side that they have, the individuals, how they led the league for basically the whole season, really.“They’ve got the second-best defence in the league and we know if we’re not right, if we put in a performance like we did against Bordeaux, that it won’t be good enough and we’re still going to use that as our motivation.Hugo Keenan celebrates after touching down for the British and Irish Lions' series-winning try in last July's second Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photograph: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images “We reset a bit of the standard on the weekend there but we have to bring it up a level again. That’s the sort of way we’re looking at it.”Keenan returned from injury last summer to make history with the British and Irish Lions. Memorably, he scored the try to win the Test series in Melbourne.The 29-year-old had hip surgery in the aftermath, then suffered a fractured thumb as he was primed to make his return during the Six Nations. It wasn’t until the loss to Glasgow on March 21st that he made his first appearance of the season for Leinster.Keenan has started six of seven games since then, including the Champions Cup final defeat to Bordeaux Bègles and last weekend’s emphatic URC quarter-final victory over Lions.“I felt a bit of a responsibility,” the fullback admitted. “I remember chatting to a few of the lads who were injured as well, whether it was [Andrew] Porter, Ryan Baird, even Diarmuid Mangan more recently.“This squad’s had a long season and we have a responsibility to come back and try to bring a bit of energy.“I knew with six months out, you’re going to be rusty, your skills aren’t going to be maybe as match-sharp as some of the others. But what you can bring in terms of that energy, work-rate and enthusiasm is what I’ve been focusing on and trying to bring to the group as a collective.“I feel there’s a lot more to my game. I know it’s a short season, so I’m just trying to make the most of it and hit the ground running.“I’m just relieved and glad there’s some more rugby to be played. The worst thing that could have happened was the season was over and done with [after Bilbao].“At least we’ve got the chance to . . . it’s not Europe, but it’s still a brilliant tournament – a big, big competition. It’s still something we’re hugely motivated to get our hands on, that URC trophy, and we’re all motivated as a group.”