Crushing loss feels like a changing of H-Cup guard

Toulon 29 Leinster 14

This was a quarter-final between two sides who had claimed the last three Heineken Cups, but the odds must now be that Toulon can ape the men they vanquished here yesterday by claiming the trophy back-to-back.

Munster will have a considerable amount to say about that when they meet the reigning champions at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome later this month, but Leinster certainly had few complaints after suffering their heaviest defeat in France since 2007.