Blues are ‘obsessed’ with regaining the Champions Cup – Henshaw

Robbie Henshaw says Leinster are “obsessed” with winning back the Champions Cup.

A member of the 2018 team that delivered a fourth title in Bilbao, the Athlone native is one of the most experienced players in Leo Cullen’s set-up as they look to beat La Rochelle in a knock-out game at the fourth attempt at Lansdowne Road tomorrow.

In the five seasons since their victory at the San Mames, Leinster have lost a quarter-final and final to Saracens and a semi-final and two finals to Ronan O’Gara’s side.

That, Henshaw says, is fuelling a hunger to deliver this season.

And he says there’s no such thing as wanting something too much.

“No, I don’t think so. When you experience winning this competition it is all you really think about,” said Henshaw (right).

“Like watching it as a kid growing up, to experience winning it is like no other.

“So, yeah, I think this one is the one to win, it definitely is for us and for me personally it is the one we are always chasing.

“It is an obsession. “Within this club it is an obsession. It is huge. We are not shy about saying what we want to achieve and that definitely is the fifth star.”

As well as their five years without a European title, Leinster have failed to capture the URC since the South African big hitters joined. “I wouldn’t say ‘a failure’,” he said when asked about their recent record.

“I’d say probably a really good learning curve and probably opens our eyes as to how competitive teams are in this competition.

“How much teams are growing and getting better, you know, I remember Stuart Lancaster saying when you are sitting at the top you are always being hunted.

“That’s the thing, you can see that teams have caught up and teams are getting better and better. It is great for rugby, it is great for the competition.

“But, for us, I think there has been a good bit of change within the group and it is great and we need to take those lessons now and we need to apply them and make sure we will do it this year.”

The biggest change has been behind the scenes, with Jacques Nienaber taking over from Lancaster.

Henshaw believes Leinster are getting plenty from the former Springbok supremo’s winning mentality.

“He has given us definitely plenty of his experiences, of his learnings since he has been here, of how the big games work and how they are won so, yeah, we will be definitely using his tools,” he said.

“I think his energy and his positivity is definitely great for the group, even his energy on the pitch, he is great.

“He is always there coaching, a handson coach, and I think the work he does reporting on teams, reviewing, previewing teams is unbelievable – so he has everything for you as a player there.

“If you ask him he has everything there for you, plays-wise, what he thinks they are going to play against us this week et cetera.

“His work ethic and his energy are unbelievable.”

It’s already been a momentous couple of weeks for Henshaw, who got married to his long-term partner Sophie a week after playing a leading role in Ireland’s Six Nations success. Beating La Rochelle would keep the good times rolling.