Ruaidhri O'Connor

They're maxed out in terms of the salary cap, 12 million annually.

They've got a real taste for European success.

And again, you position that next to Leinster.

They folded in the early 2000s.

Their current name only came into being in 2008 as Leinster were on the doorstep of a European Cup.

when Leinster won in 09, Bordeaux were fighting relegation in the second division.

You played there in 16, 17.

So you're almost at the midpoint of when they were kind of really getting a bit of momentum.

And it's, you know, it's kicked on all the more since you departed.

But curious for your take on the club, the personality of the club, what the fan base are like.

I mean, do you feel you were the springboard that has kicked them onto the next level?

Take it away.

That's legacy.

You're the before and after moment.

Okay.

Well, we're going to dig into match preview in just a second, really, properly, but...

Just on the fan base, because they are rabid here, you know, like I said, the semifinals sold out in two hours.

What were they like in 16, 17?

Or like, is there is there a discernible characteristic to the fan base?

Obviously, in Leinster, there'd be a tradition, rightly or wrongly, of the well-heeled Dublin set being the kind of core fan base.