RUGBY:Rays of light? At least Irish rugby is in good company, after French interest in the Heineken European Cup also ended yesterday, albeit after one-point defeats for Biarritz and Stade Français against Leicester and Northampton. So Llanelli have three English Premiership clubs for company in the semi-finals three weekends hence. What's that you were saying, Rog? The gloating has already started. Ye gods! It's going to be a long finale to the season.

Whatever about Leicester's thrilling 21-20 win over Stade Français in Welford Road, an off-colour Biarritz largely beat themselves by 7-6 in San Sebastian and so Northampton, bottom of the Premiership, now host Wasps in an all-English semi-final at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, while Leicester entertain Llanelli in the Walkers Stadium.

While it follows on from another blank weekend in January, Irish rugby hasn't known such a grim, demoralising weekend - certainly not in this competition - since the double whammy of quarter-final defeats two years ago when Leinster's limp 29-13 loss to Leicester was followed the next day by Munster going down 19-10 to Biarritz.

It's all certainly a far cry from a year ago when wins over Toulouse and Perpignan on a magical Saturday had set up that mouth-watering all-Irish semi-final. Fast forward 12 months and perhaps one can jump to too many conclusions based on the coincidence of two defeats to two fine sides playing close to their best at home.

"I don't think you have to be that analytical to get a pattern in that, it's just the nature of the way it worked out," observed Michael Cheika in the aftermath of Leinster's defeat. "We came up against good teams and I think both of us didn't perform to our maximums and let ourselves down on the day. It's a competitive competition; we don't have a divine right to be there. We've got to play well and make sure we earn our stripes if we want to play in the semi-finals of the best competition around.

"I thought in the first half we really earned a great launching pad. I thought we were going to be right in it," Cheika added, assuredly echoing the feelings of the estimated 3,000 Leinster supporters in attendance. "We said we wanted to up our intensity but we didn't match it in the second half and it let us down."

That it should happen in a European Cup quarter-final makes it doubly disappointing, if also, even to Cheika, slightly inexplicable. Talk of wear and tear from the Six Nations hardly stacks up, given they didn't matter so much a year ago, given Munster and Leinster took different approaches to resting their Irish frontliners and Llanelli and Wasps were in similar boats anyhow. Perhaps the headiness of Munster's triumph last May, the scale of the win over England and the dramatic tilt at winning the Six Nations had generated excessive optimism.

Even allowing for absentee captains, tactically Munster were flawed, not least in eschewing three-pointers in leaving themselves stuck on zero for over an hour, while Leinster came up short in the collisions, and mistakes punctuated both displays. Amid all the postmortems, Keith Gleeson perhaps hit the nail on the head: "If you don't bring physicality, the rest doesn't matter."

It was a testimony to the perceived threat of both Irish teams that Wasps emulated Llanelli in producing their best performance of the season, and no one better personified their defiance and unwavering defensive mastery of Leinster than Lawrence Dallaglio.

"It was built on a solid defensive performance," said the captain. "We kept our composure, didn't panic and I was very, very pleased. It was probably the best we've played all season, given the quality of the opposition. Yeah, absolutely."

Reflecting that the media had mostly forecast an away win, Dallaglio commented, "To be honest, that slightly irritated me actually. We operate at our best when we're irritated. A bit like a Wasp really."

Admitting their attacking structure broke down when they fell a couple of scores behind, Cheika also lamented some poor kicking. Tactically, he had no regrets, maintaining that in the first half Leinster came back inside patiently on Wasps' rush defence until they worked an overlap, whereas defence cost them more. So, the lessons?

"We've got to harden up the next time. Individually and collectively, as the stakes get higher, we've got to take more responsibility in the game . . . If you get beat, you've got to make sure you get beat giving everything and playing as best you can. It's a disappointing end to this campaign, but now we've got to make sure we get something tangible, that being the (Magners) league, which helps in building that winning culture . . . That's got to be our next target."

Another ray of light? Eoin Reddan, the Wasps scrumhalf, quick as a flash to the breakdown and in his passing, while skating in for two tries. A bit special against fellow Irishmen? "Emotionally it was, yes," he said. "I know so many players on the Leinster team. These players are your peers so you want to do well against them. It's a bit like the games you play against your younger and older brothers.

"He's had an incredibly frustrating Six Nations," said Dallaglio of the player who was on the bench for the final two games but has still seen no action for Ireland at scrumhalf. "For me he was our man of the match today. I think Eddie O'Sullivan left five minutes before the end and I think he would have noticed that performance as well."

And at least the Irish frontliners will have fewer demands placed on them in World Cup year.

Not so much rays of light as clutching at straws really.