THE PAIN OF the past is very much informing the present at Leinster. When the players came in for training on Tuesday to prepare for their return to Champions Cup knockout rugby, Leo Cullen reminded them of last season’s gutting semi-final loss at home to Northampton Saints.

Not that they need much reminding. As fullback Hugo Keenan explains, some imagery from that deflating day in Dublin has also been plastered up on the team meeting room walls. Cullen has previously lamented people “looking too far ahead” before the English side sprung an upset at Aviva Stadium, and is clearly trying to guard against the same thing happening this time around.

“You can’t forget those days,” says Keenan.

You have to let them remind you of the jeopardy that’s at stake. You have to let them remind you of the mistakes that we made that day.

“And we weren’t that far off but it was like, say, a linebreak or a kicking chase and Fin Smith makes that line break, or switching off at the ruck and Pollock makes that break, or a high ball and I disrupt it in the air and none of our Leinster players are around and Augustus flies through.

“So yeah, like, we still have reminders of that game up and around the building and it was referenced by Leo this morning. You can’t just sort of sleepwalk into these weeks and presume that it’s going to happen, because that’s how you’ll get caught out and I don’t think we slept walked into the Northampton game, but we were definitely a few percent off.”

A selection of Leinster’s good days also make the wall, but, as Keenan admits, “some of the ones we’ve lost are often in a bit more of a prominent spot.”

It would be a big shock if this weekend wasn’t one of the good days, with Leinster heading into a home round of 16 meeting with Edinburgh (KO 5.30pm) as heavy favourites to book a home quarter-final the following weekend. But that defeat to Saints has clearly led to a heightened sense that nothing can be taken for granted in this competition.

Leinster have yet to fully hit their stride this season, but Keenan’s return to fitness is a welcome boost, and with the Six Nations out of the way the group will feel they can start to build some momentum as provincial duty becomes the sole focus.

The fullback hasn't forgotten the pain of last year's semi-final. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO

The 29-year-old had hoped to play a part in Ireland’s Six Nations campaign as he recovered from hip surgery, only to injure his thumb during the pre-championship training camp and sit out the whole tournament.

He kept tipping away, focusing on his running and doing limited ball-work – holding tennis balls as he claimed high balls so as to keep his thumbs occupied and protected.

“I found it tougher to miss the Six Nations than, say, November,” he admits. “But look, I’m over that now, I’m looking at the positives. This probably gave me a little bit more time to maybe not rush back, to get a bit more fitness in me, sharpness, speed work.

“I was getting flogged back here during the Six Nations, so I’m starting to feel good again. I’m trying to see it as a positive. I was chatting to Andrew Porter, and I’m sure Ryan Baird’s the same, but there’s a nearly responsibility on the three of us coming back, experienced players, to bring energy to a group that’s been through a lot over the last couple of months, ups and downs.”

It’s no surprise to hear he’s enjoying being part of the group again, given his recovery period included spending a lot of time by himself.

“I got a hyperbaric chamber, and I have one in the house, so you’re trying to all these few percenters. So I spent nearly up to three hours a day in that every day to try speed up recovery.

“The hyperbaric chamber was a good distraction,” he continues.

“Getting in there, I read a book, Born of Crime, about a guy (Trevor Noah) born during apartheid in South Africa, very interesting. I wrote a best man speech, which I had to deliver a few weeks ago, so that always takes a bit more time. Small things like that. I was watching a bit of Ozark. You’re supposed to try switch off and be in a, I think it’s called parasympathetic state, and so you do a lot of napping in there.

Keenan made a try-scoring return against Scarlets last weekend. Craig Watson / INPHO Craig Watson / INPHO / INPHO

“So I did that in around training sessions to try and promote recovery. At the start, it was a novelty, and liked it. And then I sort of lost the groove of it a little bit, but then I started missing it because you like your own time sometimes, little escapes. They only picked it up last week, so (I had it for) seven weeks.”

It’s all behind him now. Keenan made his first appearance of the season by playing the full 80 against Scarlets last Friday. Back up and running, the aim is to end this run of games with a Champions Cup medal in his hands.

“100%. It’s been a huge goal of mine for many years.

“It’s been some tough, heartbreaking losses, big days getting close. Some days we haven’t been on it, some days we haven’t had luck, some days, yeah… that’s just rugby for you. So it’s another huge opportunity. I’m delighted, I’m sort of fit now to try chase that down, and that starts this week.

“I was there in the building as an Academy player in 2018 when they won in Bilbao. I wasn’t at the stadium but I’ve seen lads get there and it was cool to sort of see as an Academy player but, yeah, it’s definitely an aspiration of mine to be on that pitch lifting that trophy myself.”