Leinster’s route to Champions Cup final
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Leinster Rugby reached their seventh Heineken Champions Cup final last weekend with their semi-final drubbing of Stade Toulousain. Here we look at how they booked their slot for an Aviva Stadium date with Stade Rochelais in Dublin on May 20.
Round 1: Racing 92 10 Leinster Rugby 42
Leinster made a stunning start to their 2022-23 Pool A campaign with a six-try romp against TOP 14 giants Racing at the Stade Océane in Le Havre.
Last season’s beaten finalists ran in tries through flanker Josh van der Flier (2), prop Andrew Porter, hooker Dan Sheehan, centre Garry Ringrose and replacement prop Ed Byrne, with fly-half Ross Byrne converting four and replacement No.10 Harry Byrne improving two.
Round 2: Leinster Rugby 57 Gloucester Rugby 0
Leinster made it two bonus-point wins from two Pool A games as they amassed nine tries and kept a clean sheet against Gallagher Premiership side Gloucester at the RDS Arena.
Wing James Lowe and hooker Ronan Kelleher both notched braces, with further scores coming from flanker Josh van der Flier, lock James Ryan, scrum-half Luke McGrath, replacement wing Jordan Larmour and flanker Caelan Doris. Ross Byrne added five conversions and replacement fly-half Johnny Sexton one.
Round 3: Gloucester Rugby 14 Leinster Rugby 49
Leinster booked their place in the Round of 16 with a match to spare thanks to a clinical seven-try display against Gloucester at Kingsholm Stadium.
Wing Jordan Lamour, prop Michael Ala’Alatoa, centre Jamie Osborne, No.8 Caelan Doris, full-back Hugo Keenan, Josh van der Flier and replacement Rónan Kelleher all touched down for the Irish province, for whom Ross Byrne kicked five conversions and Harry Byrne two.
Round 4: Leinster Rugby 36 Racing 92 10
Leinster secured top spot in Heineken Champions Cup Pool A and home advantage in the knockout stage, but they had to work hard for their fourth straight bonus-point victory in the pool.
Nevertheless, they still notched six tries against Racing at the Aviva Stadium through wing Jimmy O’Brien (2), Hugo Keenan (2), Josh van der Flier and Garry Ringrose. Ross Byrne landed two conversions and Harry Byrne one.
Round of 16: Leinster Rugby 30 Ulster Rugby 15
Leinster powered into the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals after seeing off a dogged Ulster side at the Aviva Stadium.
Last season’s finalists encountered their toughest match of the campaign so far, being limited to three tries through flanker Ryan Baird, scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and Andrew Porter, while Ross Byrne added 15 points from the tee.
Quarter-finals: Leinster Rugby 55 Leicester Tigers 24
Leinster emphatically underlined their Heineken Champions Cup credentials with an impressive win over Leicester in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
The four-time champions registered tries through Garry Ringrose (2), Jamison Gibson-Park, replacement flanker Scott Penny, Jimmy O’Brien and replacement hooker John McKee, in addition to a penalty try, while Ross Byrne contributed 18 points from the tee.
Semi-finals: Leinster Rugby 41 Stade Toulousain 22
Leinster booked their place in the Heineken Champions Cup final with a sensational thrashing of Toulouse at the Aviva Stadium.
They replicated their 2022 semi-final drubbing of the TOP 14 heavyweights by racking up five tries through No.8 Jack Conan (2), Dan Sheehan, Josh van der Flier and replacement lock Jason Jenkins, plus 16 points from the impeccable Ross Byrne, who converted all the tries and kicked two penalties.
