Beaten semi-finalists at the hands of Clermont Auvergne in April, Leinster will be a force to be reckoned with once more in 2017-18 if this success, achieved despite the absence of several pivotal players, is anything to go by.
Former Australia flanker Scott Fardy withdrew on Saturday due to personal reasons, adding to a lengthy list of unavailable stars that already included injured Ireland quartet Jonathan Sexton, Rob Kearney, Sean O'Brien and Jamie Heaslip.
