Leinster paid ultimate price for failing to change tact

As Leinster lick their wounds from a latest Champions Cup final defeat, an inability to finish their chances will cause sleepless nights going forward.

It took 14 22-metres entries before Leinster finally breached the Toulouse try line, and that came in extra time. It was also with a numerical advantage after Richie Arnold was red-carded for a dangerous contact to the head of Cian Healy.

Leinster refused to take kickable penalties, opting instead to throw the dice by kicking to the corner.

Of course, it's easy to pick the game apart after the fact and hindsight must be the most frustrating thing in sport.

In fairness to Leinster, they might have thought that it would take a high score to beat a team like the French giants.

However, you have to adapt to the style of the game when you’re in the heat of the battle. It seemed that Leinster were too stubborn in changing tact.

A pivotal moment arose when Leinster managed to draw level and swing the momentum in their favour; for the first time in the contest they weren’t chasing.

This moment arrived with 51 minutes on the clock. Leinster had pressurised Toulouse through their intricate lineout attack, leading to a Caelan Doris line break.

As Jack Willis did all game, he disrupted the Leinster ball with a turnover, but was immediately poached by Andrew Porter. It was a penalty to Leinster, admittedly near the five-metre line and 22 metres from the posts.

It’s not an easy kick, but Ross Byrne is one of the most accurate kickers of a dead ball. It’s his biggest strength in selection. If it was a conversion you’d back him every time. Why pick a specialist kicker and tie one hand behind his back?

Instead they again opted to go to the corner. It was time to turn the screw and really impart a