How the Leinster players rated

Alan Good rates the Leinster men in their latest performance.

ROB KEARNEY: A crucial intercept off David Smith prevented a first-half try, symptomatic of the fires he had to put out all over the pitch. Ruined one good counter-attack with a poor pass. 7

FERGUS McFADDEN: Adroitly stepped his way out of trouble in the corner early on but injury ended his day prematurely. 5

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL: No European finale to match his Six Nations send-off, then, but can be content with his personal contribution, bar one glaring missed tackle. Some clever chips in behind helped turn Toulon. 7

GORDON D’ARCY: Spent the day attempting to quell the tide of massive Toulon ball-carriers. Won’t be happy with how Mitchell stepped him for his try. 5

DAVE KEARNEY: Far more involved here than he was during Ireland’s Six Nations campaign but had a mixed day; aerial battles didn’t go his way and was penalised for holding on. 5

JIMMY GOPPERTH: Got the nod over Madigan in the hope he would help Leinster play in the right areas, but couldn’t get going. One tough penalty miss sapped the Blues’ confidence but otherwise tidy off the tee. 6

EOIN REDDAN: One of the few selections where Leinster went for speed over bulk but struggled for quick ball due to Toulon’s limpet-like breakdown antics. 6

CIAN HEALY: Even he decided to put boot to ball as Leinster never got going. Took on as much ball as he could and had a decent scrum shift against the might of Carl Hayman too. 8

RICHARDT STRAUSS: Picked ahead of the in-form Sean Cronin to presumably provide set-piece stability, but that didn’t fully materialise; must take his share of blame for lineout malfunctions. 5

MIKE ROSS: Earned a vital scrum penalty to give Leinster a first-half lifeline at 6-0 down, but Chiocci’s greater efforts around the field earned him the plaudits in this battle. 6

DEVIN TONER: Not the only culprit on a day where Leinster missed their men 26 times, but his midfield miss in a move that eventually cost his side seven points not his finest moment. 5

RHYS RUDDOCK: O’Connor placed a lot of faith in him for such a big European day but apart from one notable choke tackle, the game passed him by as Toulon’s back row dominated. 5

SHANE JENNINGS: Was always going to need to live on the edge but that he gave away nine points’ worth of penalties suggests he got the balance wrong. 5

JAMIE HEASLIP: Bemoaned his side’s lack of accuracy afterwards and while he wasn’t a primary culprit, had a mixed day with a penalty concession, a turnover won and another lost. 6

Replacements

ZANE KIRCHNER: His 40-minute contribution is best remembered for two knock-ons in a minute. 5

JORDI MURPHY: Rumbled over for a try that briefly gave Leinster hope. 6

SEAN CRONIN: His leech important in getting Murphy over the line. 6

IAN MADIGAN: Missed the conversion but probably should have been introduced earlier as it was obvious from the 50-minute mark that Leinster needed to roll the dice. 5

TOULON

Delon Armitage (8), Drew Mitchell (8), Mathieu Bastareaud (8), Matt Giteau (8), David Smith (7), Jonny Wilkinson (7), Sebastien Tillous-Borde (7), Xavier Chiocci (8), Craig Burden (6), Carl Hayman (6), Danie Rossouw (8), Jocelino Suta (8), Juan Smith (8), Juan Fernandez Lobbe (8), Steffon Armitage (9).