The faces of the players as they traipsed past the cup at the end of last year's final told its own story.
All that hard work for nothing.
Leinster are close to the summit again and it’s hard to escape the feeling that another aborted attempt at regaining the European crown might just be the toughest to take of all recent heartbreaks.
They had been within touching distance of their first Champions Cup success in four years, before losing to a La Rochelle try in the last play of the game.
Arthur Retiere’s outstretched arm that touched the ball down must have felt like someone ripping the heart out of Leinster.
They had suffered sickening losses before; the final in 2019, the quarters in 2020, both to Saracens, while Ronan O’Gara’s side have twice in two seasons out-boxed Leo Cullen’s men.
Come what may by the end of today’s match, or in a final in three weeks’ time, base camp next year will look remarkably different.
The "unique" driving force that is Johnny Sexton won’t be calling any shots.
While his playing days with the province are over, he’s been involved behind the scenes pushing his team-mates on.
"Sexton has been like a coach there since 2009," former Ireland and Leinster hooker Bernard Jackman said on this week’s RTÉ Rugby podcast.
"You can’t underestimate his influence on the team in terms of driving consistency and driving standards. While there are other leaders there in Garry Ringrose and Tadhg Furlong, Sexton is unique, I’ve never come across anyone like him in rugby."
Widely credited for his influence on Leinster’s all-court playing style since joining in 2016, senior coach Stuart Lancaster (above) will be plotting their downfall as boss with Racing 92.
"When the lads come back from pre-season, it’s going to be a different building, a different environment, different messages," added Jackman.
"Stuart has been the dominant voice in the dressing room since he came in. He will be gone.
"It is a time of transition, and you’d prefer they were going into that transition period having closed this out."
South Africa’s World Cup winning coach Jacques Nienaber will join the expedition; not a bad replacement.
But for the standards that Ireland’s leading province set themselves then a return of one Champions Cup title in 11 seasons will be seen as a failure.
For all the talk of Leinster’s production line and conveyor belt system, the players are human.
"Rugby is such an emotional game; you have to be on the edge of going to war," former Ireland and Munster out-half Ian Keatley cautioned about the mental toll that can be exacted following repeated crushing defeats.
"It is like going to war, each and every week. Imagine going to war and losing that battle and telling a team you need to go again.
"After a loss of this magnitude, if they lost against Toulouse it takes a while to get emotionally back up for it."
Cullen denied this week that the changing of the guard feeling adds any extra pressure to reach the peak this time but he did host a press conference on Monday that the Irish Independent described as "extraordinary" and "fiery", not two words usually associated with Leinster Rugby briefings.
The head coach, who took over in 2015 and recently signed a two-year extension, said that the media hype of Leinster, once again competition favourites, is over the top and disrespectful of the other teams who have more medals on their chests.
A calculated move, perhaps, to make sure it was he and not the players who were in the spotlight this week
"I get the sense that there is that pressure all the time but that’s just me personally," Cullen, whose team start seven-point favourites today, told RTÉ Sport.
"We all just want to be able to deliver because this is what it’s all about, this is what we put all the work in for, to be at this moment in the tournament.
"You are down to the last four teams, you need to get your preparation right because that’s what gives you the best chance so that’s where you need to focus your energy."
The relatively facile manner of last year’s 40-17 victory at the same stage can and will be dismissed in the Leinster camp as an anomaly, given the build-up that Ugo Mola’s side endured – the penalty shootout win over Munster just seven days previous.
But that acknowledgment will serve to sharpen the Dublin-based side’s focus.
"You don’t want to play your very best game in the semi-final either and lose in the final which is what happened to us," said Cullen.
The loss of Sexton on the field is somewhat offset by Ross Byrne’s resurgence and the 28-year-old Ireland out-half is playing as well as he has done. Temperament is not an issue.
Also going in the hosts’ favour today is how Ireland, filled with Leinster personnel, dealt with expectations over the spring.
Favourites for every game, including the visit of defending Six Nations champions France, who boasted eight Toulouse players in that match-day squad, Andy Farrell’s side barely missed a beat as they followed up their series win in New Zealand with a Grand Slam.
Thirteen of Leinster’s squad have all that experience to call on and it may be crucial today.
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Watch Leinster v Toulouse in the Heineken Champions Cup semi-final live on Saturday from 2.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport and listen to live commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
