Cheika: we’ll keep fighting to the death

THEY may be dead men walking in Pool Six of the Heineken Cup but Leinster coach Michael Cheika has signalled his side’s determination to fight until the bitter end in the hope of an unlikely last-minute reprieve.

With two rounds to go, even a bonus point victory against Toulouse at the RDS on Saturday would be useless unless the unthinkable happens, and the French side lose their last game at home to Edinburgh.

Should all those stars align, the Irish province would still need to defeat Leicester at Welford Road, so it was not unreasonable to ask the Leinster coach how difficult it has been to gee up his troops this week.