Leinster player ratings vs Toulon | 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup

Leinster player ratings: Leo Cullen’s men went into this one as favourites but not for a second was there a sense that three-time champions Toulon were making up the numbers.

It was a nervy opening from both sides. Leinster survived a spell with 13 men and just about held firm against the RCT physical menace and pressure. It was scrappy with heavy refereeing and TMO involvement.

Leinster switched off late and allowed Toulon back into it before closing out a 29-25 win.

Here’s our Leinster player ratings:

1. Andrew Porter – 7.5
Back from injury and straight into the fire. Carried hard and made dents when others struggled against Toulon’s white wall. Burst through on 25 minutes to ignite a rare front-foot moment. Yellow card for a high shot stalled his momentum but up until then he had been one of Leinster’s most effective carriers.

2. Dan Sheehan – 7
Busy as ever, popping up in wide channels and looking for involvements. Linked well in Leinster’s better attacking passages and got through a heavy workload before being replaced on 73 minutes.

3. Tom Clarkson – 8.5
Outstanding against Jean-Baptiste Gros. Leinster were under pressure on the shove but Clarkson kept delivering penalties and stability. One shaky scrum aside, this was a coming-of-age performance in a Champions Cup semi-final.

4. Joe McCarthy – 7.5
Produced a key strip in the first half that helped Leinster flip the field. Industrious and dominant at times against a gnarly Toulon pack, but played his part in a tight forward battle.

5. James Ryan – 7
Worked tirelessly and never stopped slugging away. Outmuscled at times by David Ribbans and Co. but still managed one huge contact and was unlucky to be held up over the line.

6. Jack Conan – 8
A pumped-up performance. Crashed over early after a Van der Flier break to settle nerves and carried relentlessly in traffic. Limped off after a brutal shift having emptied the tank.

7. Josh van der Flier – 8
Took his try well on 32 minutes after slick Leinster handling. Constantly involved and smashed over from close range. A reliable presence before being replaced early in the second half.

8. Caelan Doris – 7
Up for the fight from minute one. Very poor early, which has affected his rating here, with a forward pass and an offside penalty but grew into it. His try on 66 minutes, set up by Gibson-Park, effectively sealed the game before Toulon’s late surge.

9. Jamison Gibson-Park – 7.5
Sharp in patches, including the assist for Doris and some intelligent kicking in behind. But three turnovers and one brainrot moment where he left a ruck without the ball summed up a slightly off evening by his standards. Still a central cog in the Leinster machine.

10. Harry Byrne – 4.5
A horror opening 30 minutes. Missed a sitter early and his kicking from hand was really poor, including a dreadful sequence that cost Leinster 40 metres. Yellow card for offside compounded it. Improved slightly after the break, slotting a penalty and conversion, but never fully recovered control. A tough shift but ended brightly.

11. Rieko Ioane – 6
Leinster’s most dangerous attacking weapon in the first half. A constant threat with ball in hand and showed sharp footwork, including a near break that lifted the Aviva. Defensive frailties remained, missing five tackles and nearly gifting a 14-point swing.

12. Robbie Henshaw – NA
First Champions Cup start since January ended early after a huge collision with Mikheil Shioshvili. Stretchered off after 14 minutes.

13. Garry Ringrose – 6.5
A tale of two halves. Missed three tackles in a quiet opening period but responded brilliantly. Took his try from close range with authority and roared to the crowd. Involved heavily thereafter despite a couple of handling issues.

14. Tommy O’Brien – 7
Outstanding work rate. His hit on Tomas Albornoz set the tone defensively and he consistently probed the edges. Work off the ball was excellent throughout before being replaced on 67 minutes.

15. Hugo Keenan – 7
A composed outing. Not heavily tested aerially but kept everything tidy and linked nicely in attack. Popped up in support lines when needed and did his job efficiently.

Replacements

16. Ronan Kelleher – NA
Not on long enough to make a meaningful impact.

17. Jerry Cahir – 6.5
Got through his work after coming on late but with little time to influence proceedings significantly.

18. Rabah Slimani – 5
Facing his future club added intrigue but his contribution was limited after replacing Clarkson.

19. Alex Soroka – 7
Added real value off the bench, particularly around Leinster’s maul game. Helped steady things during a tense second half.

20. Scott Penny – 6.5
Very solid without standing out after replacing Van der Flier.

21. Luke McGrath – NA
Not used.

22. Sam Prendergast – 3.5
A tough cameo. Missed a tackle almost immediately and then another frankly pathetic one-on-one tackle attempt on Gael Drean that allowed Toulon back into the game late. This area of his game simply has to be addressed behind closed doors. There’s little evidence that it has been going off this performance.

23. Jamie Osborne – 6
Thrown in early after Henshaw’s injury and delivered an honest shift. Carried well and defended diligently without dominating.