THERE WERE PLENTY of loud roars at Croke Park on Friday night. One of the biggest was when Luke McGrath was introduced from the bench, replacing Jamison Gibson-Park with around seven minutes to go.

This was Leinster fans’ chance to let McGrath know what he means to them as he made his 257th and final appearance for his native province.

McGrath’s last outing came just over 14 years after his debut for Leinster. 

He was the starting scrum-half in their most recent Champions Cup success in 2018, as well as helping Leinster to eight league titles. What is now the URC was still the Pro 12 when McGrath played a part in his first victorious campaign.

As he now gets set for a new adventure with French club Perpignan, who retained their Top 14 status for next season, McGrath will leave Leinster as a legend.

As much as the sheer longevity and the list of honours, McGrath will be remembered for the relentless ferocity and selflessness he brought every time he wore the shirt.

Indeed, one of Leinster’s big themes this week in the build-up to their dominant 36-7 win over the Bulls in the URC final was about being like Luke McGrath.

Last week, Leinster had in-depth discussions about their Champions Cup final loss to Bordeaux, but recent days were about their team-mate’s traits.

“We did a bit last week around just learning from finals because we obviously had an advantage in that we’d played a final a few weeks ago. You learn from those experiences,” said Leinster’s Josh van der Flier.

“We did a bit about that last week, but this week was all around the build-up to the game, particularly around Luke McGrath and the amount of caps he has, what he’s given to the club, and I think a big focus was trying to be like Lukey in terms of the mentality he brings.

“You would have seen him putting his body on the line; he gives his all every time he plays. So it was a bit of that and then also making the lads proud, the lads who weren’t able to play.

Luke McGrath after Leinster's win. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

“I’m thinking particularly in my position, Will Connors, injured, it was very much geared towards doing those lads proud, playing at home, doing the people watching you proud, but I think there was a big focus towards those lads leaving.”

James Lowe, Rieko Ioane, and Jerry Cahir were able to bid farewell on the pitch, as was McGrath, but Connors was one of a few departing players who didn’t feature. Ciarán Frawley, Rabah Slimani and John McKee were also in that group.

Van der Flier stressed that Leinster will miss these men on the pitch, but equally away from rugby. He has sat beside Lowe in the Leinster dressing room at their UCD base for many years, so he’ll miss the left wing’s energy.

But there was great satisfaction in sending them off on a winning note by becoming the first back-to-back URC champions.

That happiness was all the greater because Leinster suffered such disappointment in the Bordeaux clash last month.

“It was tough,” said van der Flier of having to bounce back and refocus on the URC.

“Obviously, the goal was to win two trophies. The whole season in general, obviously didn’t start very well. We had to battle quite a bit throughout the season, whereas in previous years, we probably cruised to the end point and probably slipped up then.

“It’s been a bit of a battle the whole season. And then to lose pretty comprehensively to Bordeaux was obviously… like, we’d be close in all the other finals, but that was pretty one-sided.

“That is tough to take because we want to be the best team in Europe, that’s kind of our goal every year. So that’s obviously tough to deal with.

“But I think it was great from the group to battle back. And obviously, confidence is pretty low after that, you’re certainly disappointed. But the way we managed to turn around and win a few crucial games and get to the knock-outs the way we did is brilliant.”

Leinster’s URC season started poorly, with two defeats in South Africa to the Stormers and the Bulls, but it ended in the opposite manner.

Josh van der Flier was excellent for Leinster. Nick Elliott / INPHO Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO

Having hammered the Lions of South Africa in the quarter-final, Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber’s men edged past the Stormers in an absorbing semi-final, then dominated the Bulls in the decider.

With Nienaber providing as much insight into the South Africa players as ever, Leinster finished the season in style.

“It wasn’t always this way that we’d be winning any of these games against South African teams,” said van der Flier.

“We’ve probably struggled with them the last few years. We’ve been coming across some good sides, obviously the Bulls, lost to the Stormers along the way, but it was great to get wins there.

“I think a big part of it, and credit to the whole extended squad, is that every point counts. The fact that we got the second seed and ended up playing at home, I think that’s huge. It’s a different game altogether if you’re playing at Loftus or whatever.

“So I think that’s probably a big part of it, playing at home. It’s tough for them travelling, it’s not easy. We know how hard it is to go and play in South Africa, and they’ve obviously had to do that.

“Coming up against three South African teams, it’s very pleasing to get the three wins.”