I have always found the Irish rugby media to be balanced in their reporting, but currently there are what I see as double standards when discussing Leinster. Mediocrity is apparently viewed as acceptable for the three other provinces, but Leinster, the best performing club in Ireland, are being held to a far higher degree of scrutiny.Criticism of how Leinster play and their tactics are fair game. I have criticised Leinster’s defensive and attacking systems all year. Every professional coach knows that when you lose, you will be criticised. That comes with the badge. But this week felt like it was the person being attacked and not their coaching tactics.At a press conference this week, frustrated by the reporting on his defensive system, Jacques Nienaber tried to defend his coaching and discovered what I found out decades ago. Arguing with the media only achieves one thing. It tosses petrol on to the fire. The only way to stop the fire is to win.[ ‘People don’t value me here’: Jacques Nienaber claims Leinster future in doubtOpens in new window ]As always, coaches receive too much praise when their team wins and too much criticism in defeat.Meanwhile, as the players and staff of the three other provinces are lying on Mediterranean beaches sipping on Long Island iced teas, Leinster have failed so badly that they have been punished with a home URC semi-final. Two wins away from defending their title.I am sure that clubs like La Rochelle, Exeter Chiefs, the Ospreys and the other three provinces wish they could fail like Leinster and reach the Champions Cup final and the semi-final of their domestic competition.In a week packed with stories about Leinster, most failed to mention that they actually won their quarter-final, 59-10. It is the media’s role to point out to the public that the tactics Leinster displayed in the Champions Cup final were far below the standard required. And the buck stops with the coaches for that failure. But the courage and mental fortitude Leo Cullen’s team displayed last weekend in defeating the Lions, seven days after another devastating Champions Cup loss, was beyond admirable.The mental grit required to produce such a win hardly rated a mention. That is unjust.Leinster head coach Leo Cullen. Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images What has also been largely ignored is that in selecting Sam Prendergast, Cullen once again displayed why his players come out and perform for him each week. After yet another Champions Cup final loss, Cullen was under attack and his job was on the line. Prendergast is a young player who has been rushed into the elite level of the game before he has had the time to fully develop. He was seen as a risky selection for the quarter-final. Leadership in coaching is about what you do, not what you say.In selecting Prendergast, Cullen put the development of the player and his team first, and himself last. As a coach, I am not sure I would have had the courage to do the same. Prendergast rewarded his coach with a solid, confidence-building performance.This week, Leinster face the Stormers, who at full strength are a top-line outfit. Unfortunately for them, they will arrive minus several key players. The loss of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is a big blow. Tall and highly athletic, he is a running threat, a great passer, an effective defender and a first-class kicker. Currently, he is the premier outhalf in world rugby and will be a force at next year’s World Cup. It is a shame that Irish supporters will be robbed of him playing, as he is a joy to watch. The Stormers are further weakened by the absence of their lineout caller Ruben van Heerden, their lightning-fast winger Seabelo Senatla and their quality inside centre Dan du Plessis. While these are all significant blows to the Stormers, they have a production line of players ready to take their chance.South African teams are at their most dangerous when wounded. Their natural reaction is to implement the best form of defence, which is all-out attack. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu of Stormers in action during the URC match between Stormers and Connacht in Cape Town on April 18th. Photograph: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images/Getty Images In these dying days of a long club season, which has followed the exhaustion of a Lions tour packed with players from D4, the accumulation of physical, mental and emotional fatigue is a real factor for the Leinster players who are entering their third knockout match in a row. The long list of pressurised days takes a toll. The essential element to winning these matches is the enthusiasm each player can summon. Cullen will be trying to get his players to be “energisers”. While tactics and strategy must improve drastically from those on display in Bilbao, the outcome often comes down to the old cliche, “who wants it more will win”.Players who bring positive actions into their game create energy. Strong communication, enthusiasm and energy are infectious qualities. I will once again quote the legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi, who would tell his players: “Get fired with enthusiasm, or get fired ... with enthusiasm.” After the pain of Bilbao, Leinster offered no excuses. They said little, regrouped and attacked the Lions, playing winning rugby. The question is, can they do that again, in yet another knockout match, against another South African team that is better than the one they faced last week?Time and time again, over the past eight years, Leinster have personified one of my other favourite sporting quotes. Champions get up when they can’t.