Rugby/European Cup: A virtuoso Leinster performance in Bath yesterday, and with it a vintage weekend for the Irish provinces in Europe. By beating Bath 35-23 at the Rec yesterday Leinster duly ensured their presence in the quarter-finals of the Heineken European Cup and if anyone can dare to take Toulouse on in their own town Leinster can.

Trevor Brennan's bar is going to be busy.

There was, inevitably, even a delicious sting in the tale with Leinster denying Bath the late try and ensuing bonus point which would have sent Munster to the Rec in the quarter-finals.

Instead, Munster are now at home to Perpignan, fair and perhaps inevitable reward for their latest Miracle at Thomond Park on Saturday. Given Leinster led by 35-9 moving past the 70 minute mark, and that relations between the supporters, at any rate, appear to be worsening with each meeting, it was perhaps just as well. Bath now travel to Leicester, while Biarritz are at home to Sale in the other quarter-finals, while Munster, who will assuredly have to host their tie in Lansdowne Road - worth in excess of €500,000 to them - given it's an IRFU decision, have a little bit of a debt to their brethren from the Pale and its surrounds.

Not that they'll mind. One of the first on the phone to Michael Cheika afterwards was his counterpart Declan Kidney and the two exchanged genuine and heartfelt congratulations, as well as a thank you from Kidney.

"No worries, mate, a bottle of red wine on its way to you with a red ribbon," joked Cheika, or maybe he said blue ribbon. "I'm happy for you and I hope you go as far as you can . . . Thank you, Declan, thanks very much. We're learning, and we're getting there."

They sure are, and yesterday they played their most compelling brand of running rugby, interlinking forwards and backs alike, and only as they dare to, irreverently going for the jugular and displaying their full range of running and handling skills.

With Felipe Contepomi and Brian O'Driscoll - back to his very best after recent criticisms - lighting the torch paper on the back of some brilliant work by the pack, they played what they saw in front of them, scoring a length-of-the-pitch try off a quick tap by Contepomi deep inside his own 22 inside six minutes to spark a whirlwind 21-point salvo inside the opening 18 minutes.

Clicking thrillingly at various junctures and digging deep in spells thereafter, this full retribution for the injustice of their opening defeat to the same opponents, completed a memorable double whammy over English Premiership opponents on successive days. Under extreme win-or-bust pressure on consecutive weekends, Leinster and Munster have also given Ireland a timely fillip in advance of the Six Nations and shown there's ability aplenty around. Hats off to them.

"We knew, of course," said O'Driscoll in reference to the desperate endgame in which they were holding on as much for Munster as themselves. "When it comes to the crunch you want as many Irish teams in the quarter-finals as possible and getting as good a draw as possible. It's not about begrudgery and if we helped Munster get a home quarter-final, so much the better."

Of Leinster's own performance, he said: "We played some great rugby but we played some smart rugby too. That's the pleasing thing. Both sides ran out of gas a bit towards the end but I hope our performance proved a few of our doubters wrong." It certainly should have with regard to himself.

"I don't read too much of what's written and I don't listen too much to what's said. What's more relevant is what the coaches say and think, and, I suppose, my father, although he doesn't have too much critical to say," added O'Driscoll with a smile. "I prefer to do my talking on the pitch and I'm pleased, but hopefully there's more to come."

The most pleasing aspect of what he admitted was his best day yet as Leinster coach Cheika conceded, was the pack's display. "The back division plays well pretty regularly but I was really pleased with the pack's effort out there today. They really laid the platform out there, consistently go-forward, and we repelled the Bath maul often and we were very hungry in defence."

The only downside for Leinster was the collapsed cheekbone suffered by lock Cameron Jowitt, which will keep the New Zealander out for six weeks.

With regard to Toulouse, though, bring it on: "That's a great tie for us to go there. It's a great opportunity. Look, if you want to learn and get better you've got to play the best and they're pretty much categorised as the best team around."

Unhelpfully, on the one weekend they have the Test players back, Leinster have a bye weekend in the Celtic League but Cheika hopes to arrange a friendly.

As for the endgame, Cheika quipped: "We were working for our Munster brothers all the time. Hey look, in all seriousness, the more Irish teams involved the better. It's better for us, a lot of my team are going to be playing international football and they want to be playing at the top level and we may run into each other later on. If we helped them get a home quarter-final that's good."

"A great weekend for Irish rugby," concurred Kidney from his home in Cork," to have three Irish teams in the play-offs," he added in recognition of Connacht's European Challenge Cup qualification. "It's great for the supporters, who travel so far and spend so much that they can go to this one by road."

However, he did warn that Perpignan came to Lansdowne Road and won there in the semi-finals three seasons ago.

The Rec was reduced to stunned silence and former Ireland coach Brian Ashton to generous admiration. While regretting the turnovers that played into the hands of "a class back division" Ashton admitted Bath "were beaten by the better side, plain and simple," and "didn't deserve a home quarter-final".

"Irish teams have always been known for their passion and commitment but now they've added a lot of tactical nous and skill levels," he added.

Maybe it does get better than this, but in the pool stages of the cup it's hard to think of a better weekend. You couldn't bottle it, but Heineken have perhaps come closest.