Are Leinster past European peak?

Toulouse. Munster. Leicester. Wasps.

Drag a nail over the body of the Heineken Cup’s 19 seasons and few clubs left more indelible an imprint than that quartet. And, yet, all four provide salutary lessons to a Leinster side that, at one point, threatened to eclipse them all.

It is five seasons since Toulouse last earned the title of European champions and Munster’s second crown was claimed back in 2008. Wasps’ pinnacle was reached 12 months earlier and Leicester haven’t hit the heights since 2002.