Michael Cheika bore the rueful expression of a man struggling with his emotions in the aftermath of a fine Leinster victory at the RDS. The Leinster coach confessed his immediate reaction to the win was one of confusion. He knew he should have been happy after a reasonably accomplished Leinster performance, one he would go on to describe as their best of the season.

This conflicted though with a sense of what might have been had Leinster played with the same authority and intensity in two defeats earlier in the pool campaign - in Edinburgh and away to Toulouse.

He shrugged: "I suppose those lessons will stay in the mind forever. The disappointment of giving away the bonus point in Toulouse and the performance against Edinburgh become more acute when you see what the team did today."

He added there was nothing in the short term to be gained by dwelling on the past, reflecting that Leinster had "to keep coming back with the same appetite and intensity until there is no hardship any more".

Edinburgh's victory against Leicester means Leinster still retain a tenuous chance of making the play-offs. Cheika is a realist but smiled: "Nothing in the game is a given so we still have to do our bit. If you don't believe in miracles then you'll never experience one."

He was pleased with the victory and outlined the contribution of the outstanding Stan Wright. "He was a guy that came from nowhere when we were in a bit of a bind. It's about taking opportunities; he has. He didn't train all week but he's a great team man who commands a massive respect from his team-mates."

The Australian also singled out other individual contributions, especially that of two-try hero Luke Fitzgerald. Leinster number eight Jamie Heaslip was the official man of the match but he too had conflicting emotions. "I suppose we should be happy with the win and we are to some extent, but we know that things are out of our hands.

"I thought the pack was excellent, once again working like dogs and they allowed me to play a bit looser. The set-pieces were good and while we didn't take all the opportunities we took enough."

Toulouse coach Guy Noves, while gracious in defeat, couldn't hide his frustration at his team's insipid first-half performance. "Our set-piece play wasn't good enough and we weren't competitive. We spoke beforehand about trying to win this match. We weren't content to look for the bonus point. It wasn't a case that we are happy enough to have Edinburgh at home in the final match. We wanted to win this match. Leinster deserved to win for the way they played. We knew it would be tough. I would like to congratulate Leinster on their victory. There is still plenty of work for us to do."

Unfortunately for Leinster that task is likely to be well within Toulouse's compass at the Stade Ernest Wallon next weekend. The French side are still in the box-seat.