Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan called Beno Obano's red card against Leinster "an interesting call" as his side went down 47-21 to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium to knock them out of the Champions Cup.

The Blue, Black and White knew they needed to match or better Benetton, who faced La Rochelle at the same time, to advance from Pool B, but the Italian side came out victorious 32-25 to end Bath's chances to advance in Europe's premier competition with their result in Dublin.

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Even though that was the case, the away side started the game superbly, taking an early 14-0 lead to stun the home side, and they were able to take a 21-19 lead at halftime thanks to two Tom de Glanville tries, plus an Alfie Barbeary score.

However, in the second half, Leinster turned on the style and kept Bath scoreless while scoring four tries themselves and scoring seven throughout the game. A very contentious red card for Beno Obano, who was shown two yellow cards, resulted in the game shifting hugely in momentum towards the home side.

Although they were aided by that, the Irish side highlighted their credential as favourites for the tournament. For Bath, they will now enter the Challenge Cup, and they will be hoping for success in that competition.

Speaking post-match, Van Graan spoke about the disappointing end result, but was full of praise for his side's fight throughout the 80 minutes.

"It was some game of rugby," the South African started by saying. "We planned for a fast start, because, specifically, against Leinster, if you fall behind, it's very difficult to come back, specifically the way they defend.

"Going into halftime at 21-19, I thought we handled the first few minutes well, until we got 15 on 14. To concede a scrum penalty in the middle of the pitch for a red card, certainly the first that I've had in my time. I think that's the way the referee saw it."

Obano had already been shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Leinster scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, but his extremely contentious second yellow was given after he gave away a scrum penalty in the middle of the pitch. It was a mere technical infringement, under supreme pressure, and French referee Luc Ramos had plenty of options available to him.

"As I said, it was an interesting call," continued Van Graan when asked about the incident. "I think what would be brilliant for us as rugby as a whole if we can decide what we see as a red card, a yellow card, a penalty and a rugby incident.

"I'm not a controversial coach. We are all participating in an amazing game. We're all in this game together. But I would say let's stop changing the laws every six months, let's get a unified game, and let's all pull in the same direction for the world of rugby. We all want the best for this game of ours."

Bath's focus will now go onto the Gallagher Premiership where they still sit at the top of the table. They will travel to face Sale Sharks on Sunday, although they will be a little shorthanded coming into the game, the South African said.

"We lose our English players, which is the same for all clubs. We'll get our Scottish players back on Friday. But we took some big hits. We've got quite a lot of blood [replacements], we've got all of the HIAs that I've got to go and get clarity from.

"It's Saturday now. We're playing in eight days' time. We as a group will get back on Tuesday, and then Wednesday and take our time. Like I said, this isn't the season-defining game for us. We love the occasion. We gave Leinster the respect that they deserve because they are a phenomenal team. We love this competition and we just want to keep getting better." concluded Van Graan.