‘Incredibly special’ for Leinster as they return to Champions Cup final

Player of the Match Andrew Porter hailed Leinster’s grit in seeing off determined opponents as the four-time Champions Cup winners returned to the final after a year away despite a tense Toulon comeback in Saturday’s semifinal at Lansdowne Road in Dublin.

“It’s incredible to see how we stuck it out with 13 men in the first half going into the second; we dug it out,” Porter said. “They definitely brought it to us throughout the whole 80 minutes.”

Back in the side for the first time since Leinster’s Round of 16 win against Sale Sharks, Porter praised the home atmosphere.

“It’s incredible being back here; you could feel the energy today [Saturday]. It’s incredibly special what we’re doing, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”

Player of the Year nominee and captain Caelan Doris was equally delighted.

“I’m sure the crowd and coaches were on the edge of their seats, but we’re delighted to be in another final,” he said. “This season hasn’t been perfect — we’ve had quite a few battles.

“It felt good out there, even when it was tough and we were down to 13 — there’s good composure.”

With the 29-25 win, Leinster booked their place in the final despite a dramatic Toulon comeback.

They edged out a high-quality first half. Determined to right the wrongs of last year’s semifinal loss to Northampton Saints, they came out on the front foot.

The Toulon line managed to remain watertight for the first 12 minutes, but Leinster’s quick ball was too much to handle when Jack Conan broke through.

Two Melvyn Jaminet penalties brought Toulon closer, but Josh van der Flier was on hand to extend Leinster’s lead just after the half-hour mark.

But Toulon were soon back in it when Seta Tuicuvu battled over in space as his side brought it back to within three.

I’m sure the crowd and coaches were on the edge of their seats, but we’re delighted to be in another final

—  Caelan Doris

The late first-half score, together with two previous yellow cards, seemed to rile up Leinster as Garry Ringrose charged one over just three minutes after the restart.

Toulon then struggled to find a footing in the second half as Leinster continued to push forward.

The final in Bilbao seemed to loom for Leinster as Doris went over in the 66th minute.

Toulon weren’t to be put down without a fight, though, as Baptiste Serin grabbed a score in similar fashion 10 minutes from time.

Gaël Dréan finished off a spectacular move right after as well to set up a fascinating final five minutes. But the French side just could not claw back the four-point defence as the clock ticked into the red.

Leinster will await to find out their fate as to which of Sunday’s semifinalists, Union Bordeaux Bègles and Bath Rugby, will join them in Spain on May 23.

Champions Cup media