Tony Ward: Toulouse figured out the key to stopping this Leinster machine

Toulouse's Antoine Dupont lifts the trophy with teammates to celebrate winning the European Champions Cup

Tony Ward

In the final seconds just before kick off in the magnificent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, referee Matthew Carley took a deep inhalation of breath. It captured the enormity and nervousness of the occasion and this massive Champions Cup head-to-head.

What followed was the best part of two hours of suspense as the two best teams in Europe and in this competition emptied themselves.