Robbie Henshaw plans to win Leinster's last Champions Cup dance of the season "at all costs" - after channeling his inner Michael Jordan to play in the semi-final victory over Toulouse.
Henshaw suffered from flu in the days coming up to the Toulouse game and was even bed-ridden on the Wednesday and Thursday before the Saturday clash.
But he started and was influential until Leo Cullen called him ashore in the 64th minute.
“Yeah, it was a rough week," recalled the Ireland centre, who has battled back from an injury-hit campaign and is feeling fresh.
"I was pretty grim, but I got out of bed for the Captain's Run on Friday and I felt somewhat better and then felt better on Saturday.
"But yeah, definitely struggling for air in that game. I just kind of dug deep, just kept the head down and tried to get on with it the best I could.
"Coming out of it, I felt positive that I could dig deep and just go for it for the 65 minutes.
"Once I got into the game it was a bit easier but definitely at times where you want that extra kick recovering wise, catching your breath, it was a small bit off but again it's amazing what adrenaline can do in the heat of the moment."
Henshaw had recently re-watched the brilliant documentary on the Chicago Bulls, The Last Dance, and drew on one episode in particular as he rose from his sickbed to play.
"Michael Jordan was violently ill for one of the play-off games and I had that kind of thought that it got him through, in parts in he was out on his feet and then towards the end he just found a way, and that's what I was kind of thinking of," said the Athlone man.
Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle await in the final at the Stade Velodrome, the side that beat Leinster last year in the last four but failed to secure a first European crown in the decider.
Henshaw doesn't expect it to be a classic but it's not about that, he said, as he drew on another lesson from watching Jordan in the documentary.
The 28-year-old said: “Yeah, it's probably just to win at all costs, isn't it? It's a final, we need to just do what we can to win and if it’s ugly, it’s ugly. Whatever way the game unfolds.
"Looking back to the last time we were in the final and we came out winners, it was Racing and it wasn’t the prettiest game by any means, but we got it done. It’s what we set out to do at the start of the year.
"But we’ll definitely have a tough task ahead of us in terms of La Rochelle being there last year, they’ve good experience.
"And probably being top seeds in the competition, they really have a good style of rugby, they’re hard to break down, they’ve a great defence, really strong at the breakdown.
"So it’s not going to be by any means easy for us at all. I think it’s going to be a tough game."
In fact Leinster's last two finals in particular were tight, tense affairs, the win against Racing in Bilbao in 2018 followed by the loss to Saracens in Newcastle a year later.
Nevertheless, Henshaw insists they were enjoyable occasions.
"A slugfest or a tight game, when you come out winners, it’s maybe even more enjoyable because you’ve had your work cut out," he said.
"It’s on a knife edge, they’re serious games to be involved in. And you look back to the work that was put in to get there by the squad as well."
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