Duncan Casey: Leinster 'victims of their own success'? Give me a break 

There are plenty of reasons for the province's shock exit - the tournament being too weak is not one of them.

DOWN AND OUT: Leinster’s Sam Prendergast after the semi-final defeat. Pic: INPHO/Billy Stickland

When Northampton blindside Josh Kemeny was sin-binned for clattering Rabah Slimani into the jaw in the 67th minute on Saturday, I began writing the opening segment of this column in my head. “Stupidity. Stupidity is what cost Northampton a spot in this year’s Champions Cup final.” I was sure they had blown it. Leinster were in the ascendancy, had all the momentum and were now a man up with 12 minutes to go.

This feeling was compounded when James Lowe dotted down in the corner two minutes later and even more so when, in an act of inexplicable silliness shortly thereafter, Juarno Augustus tackled Tommy O’Brien late on the wing to gift Leinster another penalty deep in Northampton territory. I rewrote the start of the column: “Stupidity from Northampton’s back row is what cost them a spot in this year’s Champions Cup final.” Despite being gifted multiple opportunities to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in a match that had seen them shell-shocked, outplayed and routinely sliced open in defence, Leinster simply could not get the job done. Every time they found the correct answer to the question Saints threw at them, they followed it up by getting the next one wrong.