Nevertheless, the visit of four-time champions Leinster carries a certain cachet, not least for the players. “Obviously that game [Castres] is the priority for us, but I think it’s important that players get game time before going into that. We’ll be putting out a better team than we did against Leicester, that’s for sure.” The Basque side suffered a 57-14 Champions Cup defeat to Leicester last Saturday. He stayed there six seasons and was part of the team that lost the 2015 Champions Cup final to Toulon in Twickenham. Nick Abendanon runs in Clermont's second try during the Champions Cup final against Toulon in 2015.

Source: The Irish Times January 17, 2026 15:00 UTC