Leinster unable to withstand Toulouse’s raw power

AFTER a positive opening performance against Leicester last weekend, Leinster failed to match the physical intensity of Toulouse as they crashed to a 33-6 Heineken Cup defeat in the south of France last night.

On the retreat for much of the opening half, Leinster survived primarily due to their tenacity in defence and through the accurate boot of Felipe Contepomi.

However, the loss of experienced scrum half Chris Whittaker due to a suspected broken ankle midway through the opening half set in train a sequence of bizarre injuries that saw Gordon D’Arcy and Girvan Dempsey also hobbling off.

Having survived manfully despite a dearth of possession in the opening half, Leinster were blown away by the pace and off-loading skills of an impressive Toulouse outfit after the break. The French outscored Brian O’Driscoll’s side by 27 points to nil in the second half.

Under the circumstances the only surprise was that it took so long for Toulouse to register the all-important bonus point, a Vincent Clerc try in the fifth minute of injury time.