Gerry Thornley

Their line-out was very good.

Their multi-phase attack was very good.

The spell after half-time when they went through 20 phases with 13 men was extraordinary.

And there was lots to admire.

Lots of very good individual performances.

Not least Andrew Porter and Thomas Clarkson.

And I thought Caelan Dorris was off the charts.

So there was lots to admire.

They deserved their place in the final.

They're the better team on balance, but it was flawed.

um i think to um compound the draining effects of employing such a high energy hard-working defensive system uh blitz from the outside in and all of that they at the very start of the second half they begin with 13 players and go through 20 phases which is a remarkable effort but maybe that takes a little bit of a toll as well um i'm puzzled by the you'd have to give credit this lens defensive system there's a

There's a marvellous spell in about four or five phases around the 15th minute where Toulon get a line out on the Leinster 10-metre line, an inch forward.

And four or five phases later, Thomas Albinos has to kick the ball from two metres inside his own 10-metre line.

Such was the consistency of the Leinster line speed, the communication between them all, how connected they were, and it really forced Toulon backwards.

But by the same token,

When they're cruising, well not cruising, but they're 14-6 up and they've dominated pretty much for 34 minutes.

They've given away a couple of needless penalties that kept Toulon on the scoreboard.

And then Toulon have the ball and they come to pull back from Dave Ribbons to Albert Nas.

And Joe McCarthy, Jamie Osborne, Gary Reynolds and Tommy O'Brien all come flying up the middle.

And Albert Nas, with almost no effort required and no other choice but to take it on, suddenly finds himself in behind all four of them.