Leinster down in the dumps again

THE icy wind that blew through the near-empty bowl that is Murrayfield Stadium on Saturday took with it the final, forlorn Heineken Cup hopes of a disappointing and disappointed Leinster.

In the face of a strong, disciplined defensive display by the home side, Leinster were sterile and stymied. Even with an excess of good go-forward set-piece ball, they looked utterly bereft of any kind of original attacking idea. Over 3,500 dedicated fans, half of those from Leinster, did their best to create an atmosphere in a stadium that is designed to hold over 70,000; ultimately only the home contingent were left with anything to cheer about — this was a bad, sad day for Leinster.

Is that it then, a premature end to yet another Heineken Cup campaign, dreams in tatters? Coach Michael Cheika seems to believe it is.