Leinster remain firm favourites to lift the 2025 Champions Cup, a status emphatically reinforced by their dominant 10-try demolition of Harlequins in the previous round. As the tournament intensifies, they now prepare to host URC champions Glasgow Warriors in Dublin, with bookmakers offering odds around 10-1 for a Glasgow upset.
Despite the underdog tag, Leinster and All Blacks star Jordie Barrett isn’t underestimating the challenge ahead.
“If we don’t get our jobs right this weekend, there’s no more European rugby for us. It’s as simple as that,” Barrett told RTE.
“Glasgow are a quality side. They play an attacking brand of rugby, showed real toughness against Leicester, and they’re confident. They back themselves and keep the ball in hand more than anyone else in the URC. It’s going to be a real test.”
While Leinster are widely tipped to progress, the pressure is mounting. Having lost three consecutive finals—and four of the last six—the four-time European champions are desperate to reclaim the title for the first time since 2018.
Head coach Leo Cullen has made six changes to the side that thrashed Harlequins. Notably, Ireland internationals Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter, and Caelan Doris start on the bench—three players widely expected to feature for the British and Irish Lions this summer, with Doris even tipped as a potential captain.
The decision raises questions: Is Leinster underestimating Glasgow? Or are they simply so deep in talent that they can afford to rotate without missing a beat?
The evidence suggests the latter. Even without those big names starting, the Leinster squad still features Six Nations winners, British and Irish Lions, and double Rugby World Cup winner RG Snyman—a lineup brimming with world-class quality.
Few are backing Glasgow to derail Leinster’s quest for European glory. But should they pull off the upset, it would send shockwaves through the rugby world and rewrite the narrative of this year’s tournament.