Fuelled by Investec Champions Cup disappointment, Investec Player of the Year nominee Jordie Barrett won the URC with Leinster Rugby.

When he joined for his six-month stint in Ireland, New Zealander Jordie Barrett, like club Leinster, would have chosen the Investec Champions Cup as his top aim for the season.

But it wasn’t to be for the Irish giants, as a superb Northampton Saints team turned up the heat on the day and eliminated the four-time champions in the semi-finals.

Leinster’s marquee man turned Investec Player of Year nominee

Barrett’s transfer to Ireland came after a glittering career that included appearances in World Cup finals. But this season came a fresh challenge: his first experience on club rugby’s biggest stage.

The All Blacks took to Europe like a duck to water, but it was the Investec Champions Cup where they felt most at ease.

While he started Leinster’s first pool stage game against Bristol Bears on the bench, his second-half debut in the competition resulted in a first score barely 15 minutes after being inserted.

Another try against ASM Clermont Auvergne in Round 2 fueled the excitement, resulting in a great run of form that saw him command the tempo of the Stade Rochelais and Bath Rugby games at times, allowing him to conclude the pool stage with ease.

Barrett’s superb carries, quick offloads, and aerial leadership helped Leinster advance to the early knockout stages, when they easily defeated Harlequins and Glasgow Warriors.

Despite another strong bench performance in the semi-final against Northampton Saints, Barrett was unable to turn the tide on his own, and his Investec Champions Cup dream came to an end in Dublin.

But his season-long efforts were rewarded on a personal level, as Barrett was nominated for the Investec Player of the Year Award.

A return on the cards?

While fans were treated to a trophy-less one-season showcase of Barrett’s best in the Investec Champions Cup, he won silverware in the United Rugby Championship (URC) to cap off his European tour.

Barrett dominated the rest of the URC crowd all season, as well as the Vodacom Bulls in the final, and helped Leinster end their four-year trophy drought.

Barrett, with a URC winners’ medal drooping around his neck and already reminiscing about a remarkable experience in European rugby, made it plain that it might not be the end of his time on the continent.

“I’d love to [return to Leinster]! I’d love to! Who knows, maybe in a few years”, he started

Going on to discuss the URC victory, Barrett highlighted that Leinster’s disappointment in the Investec Champions Cup helped them cross the finish line at the end of the domestic season.

“We also sought to channel some of the motivation from the Investec Champions Cup loss.

“Sometimes, if you push too hard to win the double, you don’t win the competition in front of you. “It will have a significant impact on this group in the future,” he said.