Donal Lenihan: Leinster loss a sobering setback for Irish rugby... and Farrell's Lions

For Andy Farrell, Leinster's shock Champions Cup defeat could not have been worse timed.

Tom James of Northampton Saints steps over the ball on the try line in the last play of the game. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

When French referee Pierre Brousset eventually blew the final whistle at the conclusion of one of the most riveting Champions Cup semi-finals of all time, my thoughts were immediately drawn to two men sitting below me in the Aviva Stadium.

For Leo Cullen the manner of this defeat will be even harder to rationalise than the consecutive final losses suffered over the last three seasons. Given the vast resources invested in this squad and the addition this season of real star quality in Jordie Barrett, RG Snyman and Rabah Slimani, handpicked specifically to close out tight encounters such as this, this latest European collapse is even more painful than those previous nightmares.