Gerry Thornley

And therefore that could be the most damaging.

Others would have been more heartbreaking.

but this would have left more scars because of the scale of the defeat.

The bizarre thing is that the stats will show you, and you look at stats, that Leinster had almost 60% possession and almost 60% territory.

As you just pointed out to me, they had 11 22-metre entries compared to Bordeaux's seven.

In lots of other metrics, they've had more carries, they've made more metres.

They made seven clean breaks to Bordeaux's nine.

I mean, you'd look at all the defenders beating 27-23, not much in that either.

Even off-loads, Leinster had more off-loads than Bordeaux-Pegle.

And yet, as you just pointed out to me, Bordeaux averaged five points return from their visits to 22.

And at one point yesterday, last night, Montpellier had made six visits to the Ulster 22 and scored six tries.

And the stats again would have almost shown you there was a close match.

Now maybe the heat has something to do with it.

I don't know.

Maybe the conditions have something to do with it.

Montpellier and Bordeaux-Bengler are both playing in kick-off around 27, 28 degrees.

Although with the first heatwave of their year, since the start of last season, this season, way back when, and have been playing this kind of weather lately, it is something they are much more familiar with.

We've all known the saying, the French like to play with the sun on their backs.

Throw in...

what, 25,000 French fans to 5,000 Leinster fans, maybe something like that.