The French outfit will take on Toulouse in their first Heineken Champions Cup final, having already featured in the Challenge Cup final in Newcastle two seasons ago.

Head coach O’Gara has plenty of European pedigree, having won the title in 2006 and 2008, but was also beaten in finals in 2000 and 2002, something Gibbes felt could be of more use to his side tomorrow afternoon at Twickenham Stadium.

"There’s a long association with this tournament in Ireland, a proud tradition going all the way back to Ulster and, obviously, Munster and Leinster," Gibbes said at this morning's press conference.

“So, the interest in Ireland in this competition and the connection has always been a strong one and, obviously, from his playing days, he created a strong folklore at Munster, and his performance in winning two titles with Munster.

“I think what this group in particular has benefitted from is his experience, having failed in finals too, and him sharing with the group what he learnt from those experiences, especially his first final performance.

“I think this team has tapped into that experience and has gained a valuable insight, and his motivation has been to try and help the players not have regrets after the game like he did.

“Certainly, the quality of his competence as a coach is pretty well-documented this year. For me, my biggest compliment for him is that he’s come into a club, Stade Rochelais, which is a traditional attack club.

"He’s helped instil a real defensive steel, a system that all the players have bought into and understand.

“That, for me, is a strong indicator of a quality coach that is competent but can also communicate effectively and instil and educate players. So, that’s what I’ve seen first-hand working with ROG [Ronan O’Gara]."

La Rochelle director of rugby Jono Gibbes has said that Ronan O’Gara’s experience in European finals will help his side in their quest for a first European title tomorrow in the Heineken Champions Cup final.