With last weekend’s disappointing Pro12 defeat to Newport Gwent Dragons now firmly placed at the back of their minds, Leinster will aim to upset the odds against the richly-assembled Toulon in Marseille on Sunday afternoon.

This Champions Cup semi-final not only presents the Blues with an opportunity to return to a top-tier European decider for the first time since 2012, it also offers a shot at redemption following their defeat to the same opposition in last season’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.

Reflecting on that encounter at the province’s UCD base yesterday, Leinster coach Matt O’Connor felt it was mistakes, rather than any inhibition, that cost them on the day.

“It wasn’t a lack of ambition last year, I think it was a lack of execution. There was a lot of intent, probably too much intent. We looked at our game in relation to what Munster went and delivered in their semi-final and [they] managed the game significantly better than we did and we looked at it as a key learning for us,” O’Connor remarked.

“It wasn’t a lack of ambition. You’ve got to play. You can’t absorb against Toulon. They’re too good. You’ve got to play. You’ve got to execute. You’ve got to take your opportunities. You’ve got to make your opportunities first and foremost, and you’ve got to execute on them. There was no lack of ambition last year.”

While Toulon’s performance against Leinster at Stade Felix Mayol 12 months ago was seen as a season-best effort from Bernard Laporte’s side, it was widely-accepted that Leinster were below-par.

According to O’Connor, the fact that Leinster had never faced Toulon before was a contributing factor to the 29-14 reversal.

With greater familiarity this year, he hopes better fortune will follow.

“It’s a huge part of it. It was the first time that Leinster had played Toulon. It was the first time that we’ve been down there and that changes the dynamic. We have got that understanding now of how good they are and we’re braced and we’re set up for an enormous battle.

“And we understand their strengths and weaknesses a little bit better, and how they approach the game and all the opportunities that that presents. It’s certainly an advantage.”

When you consider some of the criticism that they have faced this season, it’s difficult to overestimate how important a victory over the Top 14 pace-setters would be for the morale of this Leinster squad.

O’Connor believes that reaching the May 2 final in Twickenham would be massive for players and supporters alike, but doesn’t look at a potential win as a vindication of his abilities as a coach — a discussion he views as an unnecessary distraction.

“It’s huge, that’s the standard that the group sets itself. We have got loads of very, very keen fans that want us to be at the top end of Europe and the playing group want to be at that level. That’s why we play and why we’re involved in the game, for occasions like Sunday. It’s a knockout game where you put yourself in position to be champions of Europe and that’s where you want to be.

“It’s not about me and that’s the reality. It is noise, it is a distraction and it’s about the group and preparing them to be as good as they can at the weekend to put us in position to get a result. What happens to me or all the other individuals within the environment is very, very secondary.”

If Leinster are to halt Toulon’s push for a third consecutive European title, recentdisplays that Wasps and Grenoble produced against them will provide a template.

By working through several phases, and spreading the play out wide, Toulon’s recent opponents were able to breach their defensive line.

When O’Connor was asked about the tries that Toulon conceded in these games, he agreed it provided a certain level of encouragement to his side, but also stressed that there will be an entirely different dynamic to Sunday’s game.

“I don’t disagree with you, but I would disagree with the stakes. The stakes in relation to the Grenoble game and the stakes in relation to this game; it’s going to be a different dynamic. As I said earlier, those things are largely irrelevant.

“This is a semi-final, and I think we just need to make sure that we are as accurate as we can be. We control our process, as Jamie [Heaslip] said, and we put ourselves in a position to be in the game with 15 minutes to play,” O’Connor added.