Sean O'Brien hailed a "special group of brothers" after signing off on his Leinster career with a PRO14 triumph yesterday.
The Tullow Tank did not get on the pitch at Celtic Park as he couldn't recover in time from a hip innjury.
But the 32-year-old flanker was invited onto the stage by his teammates to lift the trophy after their 18-15 victory over Glasgow Warriors.
O'Brien made his Blues debut in 2008 but will depart for London Irish after this year's World Cup.
He wrote today on his Instagram: "What a way to bow out! A special group of brothers got the job done! Loved everything and every minute with this club!
"Onto the next chapter for me and I just want to thank everyone for the incredible support over the years!
"Big shout out to Johnny Sexton and Rhys Ruddock for allowing me lift the trophy - meant a lot to me!"
Sexton hailed his long-time club and international teammate yesterday as the best forward he has played alongside.
He said: "It was fitting for him [O'Brien], we're really going to miss him. I'm going to miss him. To be fair, he's one of the best players I've ever played with.
"As a forward, I'd say he's the best...no offence to Leo [Cullen]!
"Just, other forwards in the world didn't have his drive, as a leader and a player we're going to miss him.
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