Saracens captain Brad Barritt has insisted that last season’s Champions Cup quarter-final defeat by Leinster Rugby will not provide added motivation for his side in Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup final in Newcastle. The English club were chasing a third consecutive Champions Cup last season, but they were beaten 30-19 in Dublin by the Irish province, who went on to lift their fourth European Cup. The road to the final at St James’ Park has been smoother for Saracens this time around, though, with eight straight victories, culminating in a 32-16 semi-final success over Munster Rugby in Coventry last month. And Barritt – who has two tries to his name already this campaign – felt that last season’s defeat will not affect how his side go about their business on Saturday. https://twitter.com/btsportrugby/status/1126547380503969792 “I think in terms of playing in the Heineken Champions Cup, you don’t really need any extra motivation,” said the 32-year-old centre. “We have always said it is the pinnacle of club rugby and we are very eager to be successful in it. To achieve a final this year is very satisfying, but we know there’s still a huge amount left to be played. “Typically, we try to keep our formula very simple, no matter what the occasion, so we have a similar feel to the training week. “I think what we have achieved in training this week has been spot on and there’s been nothing over the top or outside what we normally do. We’re ready to give this final everything we have.” https://twitter.com/ChampionsCup/status/1126827377655468032 Saracens hooker Jamie George emphasised his team’s excitement at playing in front of an anticipated full house at St James’ Park. “It’s obviously a massively impressive stadium,” said the 28-year-old. “Being a football fan, it’s excellent to be up here and we’ll get a sense of the atmosphere watching the Challenge Cup tonight. We’re hugely excited about a sell-out tomorrow, which promises to be a great occasion – as it should be. “We have learnt a lot from our defeat against Leinster last year and the team are in good condition. “We have put in some good performances in the competition so far, especially in the quarter and semi-finals, but we know we have to step up another level now for the final.”

You can watch the Heineken Champions Cup final between Leinster Rugby and Saracens on Saturday at 17:00 BST, with live free-to-air coverage on Channel 4 and Virgin Media. Live coverage will also be provided by BT Sport, FR2 and beIN SPORTS.