Ian Madigan believes that Leinster can beat Toulouse and claim a fifth Investec Champions Cup title and says the battle of the half-backs will have a huge bearing on the outcome.
Madigan won two Heineken Cups with Leinster in 2011 and 2012 and earned 31 Ireland caps before calling time on his career last year after spells with Bordeaux, Bristol and Ulster.
"Leinster have beaten them well in the last two semi-finals, around 20 points and it’s the style of those wins.
"It wasn’t that Leinster pulled away in the last ten minutes, the games were well won at the 50-minute mark.
"Saying that, a lot changes within a season. Toulouse are playing better rugby but so are Leinster."
The former out-half says the battle of the half-backs will prove crucial in London.
Ireland internationals Jamison Gibson-Park and Ross Byrne go up against Les Bleus pair Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, at scrum-half and out-half, respectively.
"The key against Toulouse is you have to keep your foot on the gas and keep attacking," added the Dubliner, a Six Nations winner in 2014 and 2015.
"The two key guys are Gibson-Park and Ross Byrne. They’ve got to keep calling the ball on themselves and keep getting the ball in the right person’s hands.
"Toulouse aren’t a team you can contain and play a conservative attacking game plan [against].
"You’ve got to be able to get through one-on-ones and find space and be brave.
"That’s where, against La Rochelle last year, and the second half of the Northampton game, when Leinster simply weren’t moving the ball to the space we came under pressure.
"To beat Toulouse, it’s got to be an 80-minute performance. Our half-backs have to be brave and keep calling the ball on themselves.
"Where Leinster will come under pressure is if Toulouse can get front-foot ball and Dupont sniping at the second or third defender beside the breakdown.
"That’s when you get the chaos and lose that defensive structure that you work on all season.
"Dupont has the ability to create those chaotic scenarios and you couple that with an unbelievable off-loading game and that’s what Leinster don’t want to get into. They’ve got to stop it at source.
"The two key parts to that are they have to force them to win the ball at the front of the lineout and they’ve to slow their ruck speed down.
"If they do that I’ve total confidence that they will win the game because the Leinster attack is a well-oiled machine."
Meanwhile, Madigan did admit to some concern over a key decision during Leinster's defeat to Ulster.
Co-captain James Ryan returned from a bicep injury in the BKT URC tie in Belfast at the weekend and with 12 minutes remaining, and Leinster leading by a point, eschewed a kick at goal in favour of a lineout in the corner that ultimately came to nothing.
Ulster then scored a late penalty to steal the points and leave Leinster looking at a third-place finish in the league.
There will be less to think about in this weekend's match-up against Toulouse with placings and match-points not relevant but Madigan was surprised at the call, which, Ryan revealed, came after a consultation with Ross Molony and Harry Byrne.
With Garry Ringrose still an injury doubt with a shoulder issue, Ryan (below) would be captain against the French side, if selected.
"I remember as a goal-kicker, let's say the captain or key decision-makers were making their mind up, the longer that they took would fill me with doubt and if they did decide to kick at goal, that sense of doubt would seep into me.
"I absolutely loved, when the penalty was awarded, and within two or three seconds, the captain has already pointed at the posts and the referee knows, bang, you know you are kicking at goal.
"You are getting straight into your routine and you know your captain and your team have total confidence in your kicking ability, and that this is the right decision.
"I’d also have played in teams where you didn’t have to think about the decision, you were a three-point team. When you got the opportunity to keep the scoreboard ticking over the captain didn’t even have to tell the ref, you were just simply getting the tee on and kicking at goal.
"Saying that you are going to have situations in games where you need to have a discussion: is your maul going well, is your lineout functioning? The scoreboard, what’s the momentum of the game?
"Those conversations shouldn’t be had when the penalty is awarded, they should be had in advance.
"That’s what I was surprised at, it nearly looked like, 'what are we doing here?’, which was slightly concerning."
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