Clever call caps outstanding Gleeson display

Reaction: It was arguably the seminal moment of the match. Toulouse had clawed their was back to within a point at 19-18 behind in Le Stadium. At 30,500 in a capacity crowd of 37,000 were baying in unison. Leinster could feel the breath on the backs of their necks.

A scrum midway inside the French club's half and the visiting pack managed a mini-shunt and wheel with the ball squirting loose. When the ball came to Toulouse's mercurial outhalf Freddie Michalak, Keith Gleeson was already hunting him down.

The marauding Leinster flanker takes up the story: "I've seen him do it numerous times. He'll dummy, check off his right foot and head the other way. I'm ready for it but even then only managed to get a hand on him. It's enough.

"Cameron (Jowitt) reads the pass and he's off to the line. Freddie's a very gifted player and you can't afford to give him space. You have to stay on top of him. That time the pressure managed to force the error."

Leinster coach Michael Cheika fleshes out the story a little further. "In the week with the scouting notes that we do, we said (to) come up both sides of the scrum because he (Michalak) will dummy, come back the other way and he did it. He's (Jowitt) not a born six. He's been transferred there. He pushed himself later in the game to keep his thought process alive and get up there and he got a reward."

The Australian would go on to pay a special tribute to Gleeson, who had an outstanding match in every respect, demonstrating bravery on the floor, supporting the ball carrier and leading the defensive line with authority.

Gleeson played down his part as he analysed the match. "It was one of the toughest games, outside a couple of particular internationals in which I've played. It was physical and fast with everyone having to be on their toes. In the first 10 minutes Toulouse had more of the ball and broke through us. We had to rely on our scramble defence once or twice. The pace was frenetic as the game opened up.

"Everyone was glad to hear the half-time whistle. One thing that struck me was that we ran off the pitch at the interval whereas they walked. It was the type of match where you get bodies down on the loose ball - of which there seemed to be a fair bit - and take your lumps.

"We spoke during the week about the disappointment of last year (losing to Leicester) and the fact at this level you might not get many chances and you have to make the most of them."

There were other key moments, not least a tremendous lineout steal by Malcolm O'Kelly after Toulouse had elected to kick a penalty to the corner with Leinster leading 31-21. The lock admitted: "There were several key moments in the game but from a personal perspective that was a nice one."

A familiar theme in discussion with Cheika and his charges is that despite the merit of the victory in the backyard of the three-time European champions, the win had to be no more than a stepping stone. Gleeson explained: "This is only a quarter-final won. At this stage of the Heineken Cup every match is knock-out and every game is tough. We want to win every tournament we play in and that means winning all our remaining Celtic League matches. Having said that it's important to enjoy these triumphs and there is no way that you'll be able to get the smile off our faces for the next few days. Beating Toulouse in Toulouse has to be one of the highlights."

Cheika admitted: "This is a pretty big event for us as a team. I'm very proud of the players because they've worked hard. In the build-up to the match we spoke about trying to get the performance on the day. We knew that was the case but I'm very proud of the way they took the extra steps to get themselves ready for this match.

"They've had some adverse moments when they've dipped in form and I've been uptight with them, but they put in a lot of smart preparation this week. We're just pleased to be in the semis. It only gets more difficult from here because all the teams that are left are very strong."