Leinster face daunting task in Europe’s ‘Pool of Death’

Leinster’s failure to make the Guinness Pro12 play-offs was always likely to hurt them come yesterday’s European Champions Cup draw and so it proved, with the three-time winners being landed in a pool alongside triple champions Toulon, English runners-up Bath and Wasps.

“Great group,” said Bath coach Mike Ford, who must have secretly cursed the vagaries of a draw placing them in the predictably titled ‘Pool of Death’ alongside such heavyweights, given they entered the process as one of the top seeds.

Toulon will be expected to emerge into the last eight, but the other three will do well to make it beyond January even if Leinster captain Jamie Heaslip was painting a rosy picture of their season just passed and the challenge ahead.