Leinster survive late Toulon fightback to reach Champions Cup final
Leinster have secured their place in a fourth Champions Cup final in five seasons by surviving a dramatic late fightback to defeat Toulon 29-25 in Dublin.
The four-time winners banished the demons of last year’s shock semi-final exit to Northampton with a tense victory over their French opponents.
Leo Cullen’s side appeared to be cruising toward Bilbao after building a commanding 18-point advantage with just 11 minutes remaining.
Toulon stage dramatic late fightback
The visitors suddenly flipped the momentum of the contest when replacement Baptiste Serin darted over from close range.
Anxiety began to spread through the home crowd in the 75th minute as winger Gael Drean touched down for a third Toulon try.
That rapid score slashed the deficit to just four points and brought painful memories of recent European failures flooding back for the Irish province.
Hosts hold firm to keep European dream alive
Despite the immense late pressure, the Dublin-based outfit showed vital defensive resilience to close out the final four minutes.
Tries from Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Garry Ringrose and Caelan Doris ultimately provided enough of a scoring cushion to ensure progression.
The hosts have suffered heartbreak in three successive finals and are desperately chasing their first top-tier European crown since 2018.
They will now travel to Spain in three weeks to face either Bordeaux-Begles or Bath for the ultimate prize in northern hemisphere club rugby.
Match scorers
- Leinster: Tries – Conan, Van der Flier, Ringrose, Doris; Cons – Byrne (3); Pens – Byrne
- Toulon: Tries – Tuicuvu, Serin, Drean; Cons – Jaminet (2); Pens – Jaminet (2)