Matt Williams: Leinster and Toulouse prepare for a battle royale in Champions Cup final

Toulouse’s Emmanuel Meafou scores his side's second try against Leinster in last year's Champions Cup semi-final at Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Photograph: Gary Carr/Inphoand Toulouse have moulded themselves into European rugby’s aristocrats. Both organisations have created an internal mindset that understands what it takes to win in Europe.

This is because, like La Rochelle in the past two years, Toulouse have hit peak form at the business end of the season. Crucially, the way this Toulouse team performs, in both attack and defence, will disrupt Leinster’s style of play. Using their own giant Australian-born lock Emmanuel Meafou to create physical havoc like Will Skelton did in the past, added to the skills of François Cros, Thibaud Flament and Péato Mauvaka. That’s before you mention the luxury of selecting Julien Marchand on the bench, who is one of the most effective players in the world at the breakdown.

Earlier this week, I received a message from a former coaching colleague whose rugby intellect I deeply respect. He correctly pointed out to me that part of Jacques Nienaber’s defensive philosophy aims to rob opposition teams of their attacking structure. For much of the first hour at Croke Park Leinster effectively disrupted Northampton’s highly-structured attack and forced them to play much of the game in an unstructured chaos.

Paul Costes of Toulouse charges upfield during the Champions Cup semi-final match between Stade Toulousain and Harlequins. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty ImagesThis coaching concept teaches players how to be comfortable in the uncomfortable environment of unstructured attack. This creates players who are so acutely aware of space that they learn how to find the slightest of gaps between defenders.

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