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Leinster prove too much for reigning champs Toulouse
Leinster reached their first Heineken Champions Cup final in three years after dethroning Toulouse in a sure-footed 40-17 win at the Aviva Stadium.
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The defending champions struggled to cope with the pace of the hosts’ attack, with James Lowe, the tournament’s top-scorer this season, claiming two of their four tries.
Leinster recovered from Antoine Dupont’s sixth-minute breakaway score to lead 23-10 at half-time. Lowe and Josh van der Flier both touched down and captain Jonathan Sexton kicked 13 points.
The unrelenting speed of Leinster’s play left Toulouse, a week on from their penalty shootout heroics here in Dublin, scrambling to plug leaks and they also lost lock Emmanuel Meafou to the sin bin.
Nonetheless, Tadhg Furlong’s 16th-minute injury-enforced departure was a big blow for the Irish province, with their scrum targeted by Cyril Baille and company.
Lowe’s 49th-minute effort – his 10th of the European campaign – was cancelled out by Toulouse replacement Selevasio Tolofua with 15 minutes remaining.
Ugo Mola’s men kept plugging away, but a closing try from Hugo Keenan, on the back of a Ross Byrne penalty, sealed Leinster’s place in the May 28 decider against either Racing 92 or La Rochelle.
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Antoine Dupont is like the tide going out ?#LEIvTOU | Credit: @btsportrugby pic.twitter.com/vwPGz1Mk6A
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 14, 2022
An early Leinster barrage had Toulouse backpedalling, Matthis Lebel doing well to deny Jimmy O’Brien a try before Sexton fired over a penalty.
However, just as the hosts threatened again through Keenan, Dupont blocked Jamison Gibson-Park’s kick and broke free from the Toulouse 22 for a sucker punch score, converted by Thomas Ramos.
Sexton narrowed the gap to 7-6 and, while a break from Caelan Doris had promised more, Leinster were ruthless on the quarter-hour mark.
A lineout maul gave them momentum, Robbie Henshaw carried strongly and Sexton’s inside pass saw Lowe score a seven-pointer on the short side.
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Ross Molony sent Sexton through the Toulouse defence just three minutes later, with the fly-half finding Van der Flier, who rolled over the line despite Juan Cruz Mallia’s tackle.
Despite Sexton stretching the lead to 20-7, Toulouse stormed back with a big scrum and Ramos duly cut the deficit.
Sexton punished Francois Cros for going off his feet and, although a cynical Meafou saw yellow following a Garry Ringrose surge, Toulouse survived thanks to an offside call against Henshaw.
The French giants stood firm while down to 14 men, but Leinster stunned them with a try off a Molony lineout steal.
Gibson-Park followed up to charge down Mallia and the attacking waves ended with Sexton’s long pass putting Lowe over on the left.
The gap was out to 20 points after Sexton’s well-struck conversion and Toulouse’s initial attempts off a maul were repelled.
Leinster were just too good ? #LEIvTOU pic.twitter.com/4B6nlCab1a
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 14, 2022
Pita Ahki lifted the Top 14 title holders with a man-and-ball tackle on Sexton and the visitors’ forward power allowed Tolofua to tiptoe over from a lineout drive, with Ramos converting.
Leinster replacement Byrne knocked over the insurance score, though, and Keenan slipped past both Peato Mauvaka and Baille with two minutes left, ensuring Leinster will have a shot at a fifth European star in Marseille.
Comments on RugbyPass
Bell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
13 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
13 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to comments