Leinster travelled to Bilbao with dreams of a fifth European star to add to their badge.
They had hoped for redemption in the Basque city, the site of their last Champions Cup triumph in 2018, where they could wipe away the pain of their previous four defeats.
However, after being blown away by a superb Bordeaux performance in the first half, this one will arguably hurt more than most.
Players and staff had talked about the “fine margins” of previous final defeats, but on Saturday the gulf could not have been clearer.
Tommy O’Brien crossed early but what followed was a display of power and poise, largely dictated by Maxime Lucu, Mathieu Jalibert and Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
By the time Yoram Moefana raced under the posts after intercepting Harry Byrne’s pass at the end of the first half, the game was done and dusted with Bordeaux leading 35-7.
Leinster improved after the restart and Bordeaux weren’t quite as fluid, but the damage was done and the Top 14 side ran out 41-19 winners.
“I think a bit of a theme of the season has been finding a way,” captain Caelan Doris told BBC Radio 5Live.
“We’ve been behind several times and there’s been composure and finding a way, but despite a good effort in the second half it was too high a mountain to climb.”
