Leinster remain one of the most prominent teams in rugby union. Part of Leinster’s main appeal is their ability to win – and with legends like appearance holder Cian Healy and Johnny Sexton, the all-time top scorer for the club, the current squad have a lot to live up to. When you play for a team like Leinster, with nine domestic titles and four Champions Cups, you know what the standards are. Every year, then, comes with the same question: can Leinster clinch the Champions Cup?
Success in the URC and Irish Shield last year and a semi-final placing in the Champions Cup is good going – but that is not enough for a title-hungry giant like Leinster. What are the odds, then, of them going all the way? Here is our breakdown using odds from the biggest bookmakers in Ireland.
Can Leinster Clinch the Champions Cup?
The odds are certainly available if you want to back them to go all the way in the 2026 edition. In fact, outside of favourites Toulouse (13/5 @ Bet365, 11/4 @ Ladbrokes), Leinster are sitting in second with the bookies. They are rated at 3s @ Bet365 and 11/4 @ Ladbrokes, which are pretty fair odds. They are beginning to rack up good results, too, including a 52-17 shellacking of Connacht in the URC last weekend.
While La Rochelle (20s @ Bet365 & Ladbrokes) are nowhere near their imperious best, other potential challengers include Bordeaux (10/3 @ Bet365, 3s @ Ladbrokes) and the aforementioned Stormers (12s @ Bet365, 14s @ Ladbrokes) also pose a realistic challenge to success here. English side Bath enjoyed an incredible year last season, winning a treble, and are rated at 11/2 @ Bet365 and 5s @ Ladbrokes – they could be one of the real threats to a Leinster victory this season.
So far, Leinster sit on nine points from two games. In a tough group that contains the likes of South Africa’s Stormers and old rivals La Rochelle, who have bested Leinster in European competition more than once in recent years, Leinster will need to find its form quickly. An upcoming rivalry match with La Rochelle is enticing and could be a decent indicator of where Leinster are. The game against La Rochelle – a Saturday night kick-off – could be one of the games of the season.
At the time of writing, Leinster are on a whopping seven-game winning run, having recovered from their surprise loss to Munster (31-14) back in October. They also avenged that loss in late December, winning 13-8 in a backs-to-the-walls performance. So, they are in pretty good form.
Remember, too, that the other favourites, including Toulouse, haven’t been invincible this year either. Toulouse recently lost in shocking fashion to the Glasgow Warriors, a loss that is significant enough to do serious damage to self-confidence and belief within the group. Most pundits still predict that Toulouse will go all the way, but Leinster are easily up there with their long-term French rivals.
There’s still a long, long way to go in this season’s Champions Cup, but Leinster have every bit as good a chance to add to their already impressive four wins from eight finals. With a bit of luck in the draw and some of the other favourites beating each other, who knows?