Former Ireland head coach Eddie O'Sullivan does not think Leinster merit criticism for their performance against Toulon.
Matt O'Connor's side fell short in the Champions Cup semi-final after extra-time and Eddie told Off The Ball that Leinster deserve some credit.
"Leinster were within a coat of paint of getting into the final two and that's the reality of it. You can't drive a narrative on the basis of that. Leinster went out on a mission yesterday. It was cup rugby and they just didn't pull it off. I wouldn't be prepared to write a negative narrative about Leinster based on that performance yesterday," said Eddie.
Trevor Hogan also felt Leinster rattled Toulon, and thinks criticism of the team is "harsh" based on events in Marseille.
On the wider question of O'Connor being the frequent target of critics, he said some of the more vociferous calls for his dismissal are "brainless" and added: "The reasons I get edgy about the criticism is because the big call is for the easy solution [for critics] is Matt O'Connor is the problem and it's just not the case. It's really simplistic analysis."
He also feels that the return of Jonny Sexton as well as the addition of other talent will give O'Connor weapons next season, with Eddie emphasising that Leinster cannot play the same way as in the past given the loss of key backs.
"To be fair to Matt O'Connor, I don't think he's playing with the same hand as Joe Schmidt played with and that has to be recognised," he said.
But Trevor did acknowledge that there has been a drop off in terms of baseline standard in comparison to Joe Schmidt's era.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
