Matt Williams, Reggie Corrigan and Mike Ruddock were the guests for The Saturday Panel to reflect on the early days of professionalism at Leinster.
Ruddock, the former Welsh Grand-Slam winning coach, described what it was like during the early days of his tenure in Donnybrook from the lack of equipment to being the lone coach at the province for a period.
Matt Williams joined his coaching staff in 1999 from Super Rugby in the Southern Hemisphere and pin-pointed where it all started to change in the squad.
"For me, the big turning point was when Brian scored those three tries in Paris. He then got picked on the 2001 Lions Tour and he came back a different player because he'd been around Martin Johnson, who was captain of that tour, Neil Back, Corry, all those great English and Welsh players who were on that tour and I remember Brian coming back and saying to me one day: 'Look, I understand we're not working at the right level' and he - he and Campese were the two best trainers I've ever coached.
"But, Brian wasn't a great trainer at the beginning - he had this talent but he just learnt if we're going to win - that's what we've got to do.
"He became very demanding. I think that rubbed off on Shane Horgan and 'Denny' Hickie in his own way.
"And, you look at that group in 2001 and in the 2005 tour to New Zealand - there was seven Leinster players."
"They'd gone from drinking a can of Heineken in the shower after a game to five years later, they're British and Irish Lions.
"So, like Mikey said, no coach can claim that 'I did all that' - that's the boys and everyone in the organisation realising 1. We've got talent, 2. We've got to change and 3. 'Guess what- we can do something here'.
"So again, you see where the club is now and this magnificent organisation that they are with this production line of players, selling out the Aviva, all those good young players except for one, that won a Grand Slam - they're Leinster produce players.
"All that came from that group of players that Reggie was captain of and laid that foundation," he added.
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