Leinster captain Jack Conan said that winning the United Rugby Championship helped his side to “silence a few critics”.

Leo Cullen’s team won the competition for the first time since 2021 and the ninth time overall after a comfortable 32-7 victory against the Bulls at Croke Park.

And Conan was pleased with the final win after Leinster’s recent shortcomings in European deciders.

“Definitely feeling a bit of relief, just so delighted for everyone who has put in so much work the last few years,” he told TG4.

“I’m glad we showed up and performed and were able to silence a few critics.”

Conan, who will now link up with the British and Irish Lions for their summer tour, revelled in winning the title at the GAA headquarters and in front of a crowd as Leinster’s last URC triumph four years ago was behind closed doors due to Covid.

“It’s incredibly special and not something you dream of growing up or even in the last few years it’s been a while since we played here,” he added in the post-match press conference.

Leinster led 19-0 at half-time and Conan believes the strong defensive effort to shutout the Bulls after racing into the lead helped his side over the line in the second half.

“To hold them out at half-time, credit to the lads for putting their heads in where you wouldn’t put a shovel, the mental lift that gave us was huge,” he continued.

“Before the game we spoke about taking it moment by moment and not getting ahead of ourselves. We knew it was going to be unbelievably physical and there was no point focusing on the bigger picture, but we dealt really with how direct they were.

“I’m delighted for the lads that they have performed.”