Leinster defeat casts a shadow on all of PRO14

CRESTFALLEN: Leinster players after their defeat by Saracens in Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final at the Aviva Stadium. While Leinster blitzed all their rivals in the PRO14, the gap in Europe was exposed by Saracens. Picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Let the head-scratching begin, and not just in Leinster. The Guinness PRO14 champions will take no comfort in Saracens being toasted for producing their finest European performance in the wake of this 25-17 quarter-final victory as they survey the wreckage of an unbeaten season dashed on the rocks. Neither should their domestic rivals.