Leinster became European champions for the fourth time after securing a 15-12 victory over Racing 92 in the Champions Cup final.
James Ryan, playing in only his 20th professional game, earned the man of the match award after helping his side to victory at the San Mames Stadium.
The lock starred for Leo Cullen’s side as the 21-year-old’s fairy tale start to his career continued by adding to his Grand Slam triumph with Ireland.
And Keith Wood, speaking post-match on Off The Ball, hailed Ryan’s all-round performance as he helped Leinster add a fourth star to their jersey.
“Every part of his play – his lineout, his lineout steals, his carries, his tackles,” Wood said.
“He’s 6’ 8” and he’s doing chop tackles. It’s almost impossible to get down to the ground for him and he’s down at the bottom cutting guys up. And he’s running as hard as he can up in the line, low and making the tackles.
“Sometimes when you’re going on that cut you can actually lose sight of the tackle. And I think you have to highlight the fact that the guy has played 20 professional matches.
“He’s lot the run of himself, he’s so bloody greedy. He’s taken the lot and got man of the match in the final, what more would you like?”
Asked what the ceiling looks like for this current Leinster side, Wood believes the nature of their victory will serve them well in the future.
“There are young guys coming through. This was a pure and unadulterated dog fight of a final and they’ve come through the other end. That just offers so much [for the future] because they know can win,” Wood added.
“If they had a monkey on the back it’s gone now. They’re now going to look at the next one and they’ll want to win it again next year.”
Written by James Hopper
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