Neil Francis puts forward his view on what Leinster have to do to beat Toulouse in their massive Heineken Cup semi-final in The Irish Independent.
"The cracker croakers are coming to town. Courage in the face of adversity is always welcome but in this case probably not so necessary. If you want to win the Heineken Cup, more than likely you'll have to beat Toulouse at some stage in the competition. Best to meet them in a home quarter or semi. Courage is a fundamental, particularly in a battle of wills, but intelligence is the prime ingredient.
"I say this because I look back and observe what happened this time last year in Toulouse. Whatever you think about Leinster's dubious heritage before they won the competition in 2009, their pedigree has been honed in the blast furnace of competing in knock-out competition and a benchmark was set for bravery in that semi-final.
"The exchanges at the point of contact in that match were feral. Savagery, where the participants forget themselves and any sense of self-preservation, came five minutes after the final whistle. It is obvious to point to the grizzlies in the Toulouse pack -- Albacete, Dusatoir, Millo-Chluski and Servat are people I would not like to meet in an alley with lots of bright lighting, secure cordons and police protection. They breathe physical malice."
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