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Hugo Keenan first tried putting silver on the table with the Leinster jersey on Saturday. He wants more.
The 24-year-old winger played the full 80 minutes of Ulster’s 27-5 Guinness Pro14 final loss, celebrating with pizza and beers in the bowels of Aviva Stadium.
It wasn’t long before the team’s attention turned to a match that had long been marked in the newspaper: the Saracens in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals. There are unfinished business to attend to.
“We want to correct the mistakes of last year,” Keenan said referring to Sarries ‘victory in the European Cup final at St James’ Park in May 2019.
“There is a bit of revenge there. Everyone has been waiting for this game for a while. It’s a big one.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t go to [the final last year]. The guys from the academy, three of us, went to the Bective Rugby Club to watch the game there.
“That game went all the way, didn’t it? It was so close and it was hard to watch. I’d say it was hard to play too.
“Obviously, there will be some people who will still suffer from that, so we have some mistakes to correct.”
It’s been a breakthrough campaign for Keenan, who has been out of the first team since 2018.
Lifting a trophy in Leinster’s colors was a special, if surreal, experience.
“It was a bit strange,” he added. “Unfortunately we could not have fans there, we could not have family or friends, everyone in the stadium. It was still special for me. It was my first trophy, the first in which I participated.
“We chilled in the locker room and had a pizza and a beer together. That was nice. We got soaked that night. [was celebrated] a little different than you normally would, but you have to make the most of everything these days.
“Each game has been different. We have been building through each one and I think the performances have been improving as we go along.”
One less trophy, one more: that’s the mantra on the Leinster field, where the appetite for glory is never satisfied.
“People are delighted with the victory at the weekend, securing the Pro14, but getting that fifth star on our jersey, that’s the main thing for us this season,” Keenan said.
“It’s a great week for us. The Heineken Cup is the one you want.”
Follow the Champions Cup quarterfinals between Leinster and Saracens (3pm on Saturday) with our live blog on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News app or listen to the commentary live on RTÉ Radio 1
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