Writing in the Sunday Independent, George Hook argues that the manner of Leinster's defeat in Saturday's Heineken Cup semi-final clash with Toulouse has highlighted a real crisis in Irish rugby.
"Toulouse, as expected, reached the final of the Heineken Cup in Paris. They stuttered in the process, but it would have been a travesty had they lost a game that they dominated from the off.
"It was a sad way for Leinster to bow out, but their luck was always going to run out away from the heady atmosphere of the RDS.
"It took just 12 minutes for this game to move away from Leinster. The first scrum of the match demonstrated the gulf between the two teams and only Toulouse's conservative and nervy performance allowed the Irish province to survive.
"However, it would be unfair not to credit Leinster's indomitable spirit and organisation. The winning habit is hard to break and this team never gave up against a vastly superior force. But the facts of rugby union are immutable; forwards win games, the backs determine by how much. Michael Cheika may reflect on Eoin Reddan's near-try, but, in truth, his team threatened just twice to break free from the French shackles."
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