Leinster fear the worst as Fergus McFadden’s knee assessed

Leinster are fearing Fergus McFadden's season may be over even though the decision to put him on crutches after Sunday's Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat in Toulon was precautionary.

A statement by the province yesterday maintained McFadden’s knee injury was being assessed by their medical team over the next few days but his knee is also in a brace.

While Leinster's physical misfortune is nothing like that which has afflicted Ulster in the fall-out from theirs heartbreaking defeat to Saracens, the three-time champions were nonetheless left reeling by the scale of their defeat to Toulon.

“It’s not that we planned for it,” said captain Jamie Heaslip in the aftermath. “We know what it takes to win this competition. Today simply wasn’t good enough from us and that is what happens at this level at this stage of the competition.”

Three weeks ago, Heaslip and 14 of his team-mates were in Paris for Ireland's win over France which sealed the Six Nations title, and contrasting the two games, he observed:

“A lot of these games have a couple of things in play. There was ruck, ball focus, accuracy, and they got the majority of the luck. They were probably more accurate with the ball, a lot more clinical, definitely, with the ball, and controlled the game very well, got some crucial turnovers to turn the pressure back on us when we were in their half.

“They are a very hard team to get yards against, they played an aggressive defensive line and it’s a tough place to come.

“We had amazing support, they had great support, it’s a great cauldron, great atmosphere to play in and at half-time I thought we were in the game and they just got their noses ahead and stayed ahead.

"Unfortunately we came out on the losing side. They were the better team on the day.

Momentum
"At times the game opened up, and they created a lot of momentum. It's very hard to defend against a team like that when you give them two-, three-second ball and they had big ball-carriers who got them a lot of momentum, got them that quick ball and they eventually got over and we were chasing the game from them on, really.

“At times we weren’t accurate enough with the ball when we had it and at ruck time they got some crucial turnovers at some crucial times which killed a lot of momentum.”

The defeat underlined the importance of achieving home quarter-finals, with the weekend maintaining the tournament’s 75 per cent winning return for the home sides, and it may well have been 100 per cent but for one refereeing decision, but Heaslip did not pay much heed to this.

“We’ve gone away and we’ve won away,” he maintained, although they have won two out of five away quarter-finals, compared to four from five at home.

“From the players’ point of view, you get that home support and all but we weren’t afraid of coming here. We’ve gone away in quarter-finals, in hot cauldron-type atmospheres and won, but unfortunately we came here and against a team like Toulon, you have to be accurate.

“You can’t give them easy entries into the game or easy exits in their half as well and that is what we did at crucial times. It’s a little disappointing because usually we’re a very accurate and focused team but they put a lot of pressure on us and forced turnovers and fair play to them, they were the more accurate team when they had the ball.

“We knew the kind of team they were; they have a very strong squad and can just switch guys in and out. They showed that again today.

“They are going to be a very hard team to beat, especially down here. It’s disappointing.

“The general feeling is they were a lot more accurate than us both in attack and defence.”

That task now falls to Munster, albeit in Marseilles.

"You have got two teams there, Munster with a lot of experience in the Heineken Cup, Toulon with a lot of experience in the Heineken Cup. Defending champions, they know what it takes to win. Both teams know what it takes to win.

Work cut out
"Going into a semi-final Munster down here will have their work cut out for them but I don't doubt their ability to win. They showed against Toulouse what they are capable of.

“They were really, really efficient and were really accurate when they got into the 22, went through the phases and eventually got the gaps they needed.”

“Against Toulon down here they are going to have to do the same thing. They have some very good players in the backs and the forwards.

“They are a team with a lot of momentum and they have to shut that down first and then just hold on to the ball and go through phases and when those little opportunities arise, the mismatches, on off-load or a missed tackle, then they have got to pounce on it.

“Munster are well capable but the flip side of that is Toulon are also capable of it.”