Trevor Brennan takes his beret off to Leinster who he feels will just get the better of the semi-final cracker.

European Cup Diary: On Wednesday we made our first trip to Le Stadium. We were all called into a huddle before the session, as is traditional before a big game such as a Heineken Cup knock-out match. Guy Noves underlined the importance of the match and outlined what we had to do. He spoke with the usual fire and passion in his voice. For me, that was the start of the build-up.

Just before the team run Fabien Pelous pulled up with a back injury and Romain Millo-Chlusky stepped in. But there was never any doubt that come the day of the match Fabien would be okay. His record speaks for itself and the next day I was glad to see him back in training. He is one man I would always gladly play alongside. He always leads from the front and always gives everything.

Some friends and supporters also made the trip on Wednesday so as to see the sights and avoid the crowds. Peter Caviston and Tim Pat Coogan had rung me a few weeks ago to say they were coming over on the Wednesday but Tim Pat pulled out at the last minute.

After training I had a bit of lunch with Peter and a few of the lads in the bar and then brought them off to see a vineyard. A bit of culture for the boys before the rugby and partying. I took some of them in my car and Peter took the others in a car he had hired.

He got lost twice en route on the country roads and when we got to the vineyard he was driving on the wrong side of the road for about five minutes. This prompted the boys to tell me a few stories about Peter.

Apparently he always falls asleep when they're out at night with him, which is handy for them as they said they either leave him in the taxi or the restaurant and he ends up paying the bill.

That was the last bit of escapism before the match for me too. On Thursday we went to our hotel to go into camp in preparation for the match. I'm never a big fan of this myself personally and to be honest I think the whole occasion got to me. I didn't sleep well for two nights and when I woke up on match day I felt very tired.

It's hard to say what went wrong on the day, or put your finger on why we played so badly. We did a two-hour video analysis of the game on Monday and the general conclusion was that everyone felt they had played poorly. Collectively it was just a bad performance.

It started with our lineout, which just didn't function like we had planned. After a blistering start, we have put in a few bad performances this season, losing to the likes of Bayonne, Narbonne and Brive when we weren't expected to lose.

But of all the bad performances, this one topped the lot.

In fairness to Leinster, they didn't let us play a lot of the time and they capitalised on our mistakes, turning missed tackles, mistakes or turnovers into tries. It was a case of us having a bad day and Leinster having an unbelievably brilliant day from one to XV.

I suppose it had to end some day too. Three years, three European Cup finals, and two winners medals. But I never thought it would end this way, in Toulouse and in front of our own crowd. Leinster and their supporters made a big effort.

Bank of Scotland were distributing flags and T-shirts outside the bar and all over the place the night before the game, and they had the colour and the bodhráns.

In my days at Leinster there was never support like this. When I was warming up I looked up into our support and I noticed a banner saying Welcome to Toulouse Trevor's Friends, with a shamrock at either end of it, which I thought was a classy touch.

And Leinster put in a fantastic performance. Felipe Contepomi played like a real general and I had warned the lads beforehand that they play an awful lot off him. We had a particular gameplan but we just didn't stick to it.

But no one, absolutely no one in Toulouse can complain about the result. On the day we were beaten by a better team, no two ways about it. But of all the teams to lose to, I have to say losing to your old team is a killer, even if some of my best mates in rugby were the cause of it.

Denis Hickie showed he still has all his old pace and finishing ability, and Shane Horgan still has his strength and finishing ability. He never seems to have a bad game.

Freddie Michalak's pass to Cameron Howitt gave them one of their tries but it was great pressure by Keith Gleeson, who was everywhere. He was outstanding. He may not have been in the Irish team for the last couple of years, but on that evidence there's still a lot left in that fella.

I do wish Leinster and Munster well and I hope one of the Irish teams goes on and wins it. I'd have to say, and I know they'll hate me for saying it, but I do make Leinster slight favourites if they can match Munster at all up front, because of that edge in their backline. The Munster backs could struggle to contain them.

The Leinster pack may not be as highly rated but I think they're better than they're given credit for. Brian Blaney put in a big performance, Reggie Corrigan has huge experience and Will Green is playing out of his skin for Leinster.

Munster might be seen as having an advantage in the secondrow where Paul O'Connell is a superb forward, but Malcolm O'Kelly on his day can equal anybody.

The backrow? I don't see why Munster should be so much better. That Cameron Jowitt fella is a handy bit of stuff, Gleeson is playing as well as ever and Jamie Heaslip will play for Ireland, very soon I'd say.

Leinster have always had the talent but Michael Cheika has instilled a bit of belief that hasn't been there before. Coming to France and scoring four tries and 41 points in Toulouse is some achievement, because in my four years here we've never lost in Le Stadium.

We have really got to look forward now and use our hunger for the French Championship. The amount of media at our training yesterday was just unbelievable and they were all talking about the French Championship.

We haven't won the French championship since 2001. In the last three years we've used the European Cup as an excuse but now there is no excuse.

We have only one goal now for the rest of the season, and that's winning that final on June 10th in Paris. We have six games to make sure of a top four finish and a place in the semi-finals, starting off this weekend away to Biarritz, followed by Stade Francais at home and then Bourgoin away.

Guy Noves didn't roar and shout at us for losing last Saturday. We now have a free weekend on the semi-finals of the European Cup and he says he's going to take us away for a couple of days for a bit of team building.

I don't think Irish people can appreciate how much demands are made on the top players, especially the French internationals, between Tests and club games.

Those extra two or three games together should have stood to us, but we had a lot of knocks from the last couple of games and I think Leinster were fresher than us.

But we still have something to aim for. For me the European Cup was every bit as big but for many players over here and supporters the Bouclier du Brennus is bigger. I've only been to one final, losing it, and two semi-finals. And losing only makes winning sweeter.

I would like to wish all the Irish lads well. I wish it was still me out there but that's life, you win some, you lose some. C'est la vie.

(In an interview with Gerry Thornley)

(Trevor Brennan's regular Heineken Cup column can be read on the ERC website, which is at www.ercrugby.com)