Leo Cullen has no fears of his Leinster side fading in the Marseille heat in this afternoon's Heineken Champions Cup final (4.45pm Irish time).
The temperature is forecast to hit 29 degrees centigrade in the Stade Velodrome when Leinster kick off against Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle, conditions the Irish province are not used to.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference Cullen, who has named an unchanged side from the one that beat Toulouse in the semi-final, said: “It’s not too bad out there.
"I think if anything at 5.45 tomorrow, the pitch is in the shade.
"When we turned up earlier on, it was overcast so there was no sun. When the sun is there, it feels a lot warmer for sure.
"Conditions will be great, a massive occasion, two great teams going at it, I don’t see it as a major issue.
"It’s warm, but on Thursday when we left, it was lashing rain.
"I’d much rather a bit more warmth in the air and I think all the lads prefer that as well. I think it should add to the occasion - the conditions will be excellent.
Johnny Sexton declared that winning the tournament for a fifth time would be "the pinnacle" for the province, and confessed that lifting the trophy as captain would "maybe" mean a little more to him than the previous four final victories, before adding it would be "very special".
But he cautioned: "I also answered these questions in Newcastle before Saracens as well (in the 2019 final lost by Leinster).
"It would be very special. But it’s not something that I thought too much about.
"You obviously feel it inside but you always take responsibility...but yeah, it would be special, to add your name to the list of some great players who have played the game and have captained Leinster to the Heineken Cup.
"So it would be very special."
O'Gara is boosted by the return of Will Skelton to his second row but has lost Victor Vito to injury.
Cullen, meanwhile, is still not sure if La Rochelle's first-choice scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow is really out of the contest with a broken hand, with young no 9 Thomas Berjon named in the side ahead of the experienced Kiwi.
"Kerr-Barlow is a hugely experienced player, obviously played for the All Blacks, a huge signing for La Rochelle and a big presence over the last couple of seasons," said Cullen.
"So if he's not there I'm sure he will be a loss, but again, we'll see what team runs out at 5.45 (French time)".
