FT: Leinster 43 Sale Sharks 13
“This took a while,” Gerry Thornley writes from the Aviva. “Leinster didn’t quite scale the attacking heights of last week, not until the second half anyway.
“They had to earn this one, but once again they pulled together at the interval to produce a much improved second half display.
“And ultimately they won pulling away, which is the mark of a good side, to earn a home semi-final in three weeks’ time against Toulon.”
Read Gerry’s report in full below:
[ Leinster made to work hard for Champions Cup quarter-final win over Sale SharksOpens in new window ]
That’s all from me for this evening. Keep an eye on The Irish Times website for more reaction and analysis on Leinster’s win.
And if you’re in the market for more live updates, David Gorman is keeping us up to date on the latest from day three at Augusta, where Rory McIlroy remains out in front at the Masters.
FULL-TIME: Leinster 43 Sale 13
Gerry Thornley will have a full match report for us shortly, with some reaction and analysis to follow.
While we wait, here’s Dan Sheehan’s break and Jamie Osborne’s finish.
FULL-TIME: Leinster 43 Sale 13
So Leinster will face Toulon in the semi-finals, the French side having beaten Glasgow Warriors earlier today.
Bath are also through after their win over Northampton. They’ll play the winners of tomorrow’s game between Bordeaux Bègles and Toulouse.
FULL-TIME: Leinster 43 Sale 13
80 MINS: TRY FOR LEINSTER!
Kick from Luke McGrath goes out on the full for a Sale lineout, not that they look like they could be bothered at this point.
Loose ball is found by Dan Sheehan who makes an incredible line break. He passes to Jamie Osborne to take it the final stretch and he’s nearly caught with a tap tackle but holds on to cross for one last try.
Harry Byrne slots the extras for the full-time whistle.
FULL-TIME: Leinster 43 Sale 13
78 MINS: Leinster capitalise on some loose passing from Sale.
But the hosts are tiring too, a pass from Rieko Ioane misses its target and trickles into touch.
Leinster 36 Sale 13
74 MINS: Replacement Luke McGrath nearly makes a break to cross the line for Leinster but he’s caught just short.
Leinster go again and Sale hold them out at the line.
They play it out the back and win the advantage. With the free play Harry Byrne sends a long pass out on to the wing to Tommy O’Brien but it’s forward so we come back for the penalty.
Harry Byrne sends it between the posts for three points.
Leinster 36 Sale 13
70 MINS: Rónan Kelleher lucky not to pick up a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on.
Sale finally find a try through Alex Willis in the corner and George Ford adds the conversion.
Try-scorer Hugo Keenan makes way for Leinster.
Leinster 33 Sale 13
64 MINS: TRY FOR LEINSTER!
Harry Byrne chips over Sale’s defensive line with Tommy O’Brien on the run in. There’s a scramble over the awkward bounce but O’Brien is first to control it to touchdown.
Byrne adds the conversion once again and Gibson-Park makes way for Luke McGrath.
Leinster 33 Sale 6
61 MINS: Robbie Henshaw comes in for Garry Ringrose and Max Deegan returns to play, this time coming in for Ryan Baird’s place.
Leinster doing better against Sale’s scrum and they’re back on the attack but the referee spots a forward pass.
Leinster 26 Sale 6
58 MINS: TRY FOR LEINSTER!
Another for the hosts as Rieko Ioane finishes off the move after a beautiful take in the air for Hugo Keenan.
Harry Byrne adds the extras.
Sale are restored to the full compliment with McIntyre’s return from the bin.
Leinster 26 Sale 6
54 MINS: TRY FOR LEINSTER!
Ryan Baird is repaid for his unselfish pass to Keenan for the last score.
He takes Jack Conan’s pass on the run and shakes off a tackle to cross for Leinster’s third try. Bryne converts.
Thomas Clarkson comes in for Tadhg Furlong.
Leinster 19 Sale 6
50 MINS: Some sloppy play from both sides. Sale trying to go through the hands to make their way out of their own half. They’re making little headway but Leinster are penalised for a high tackle, giving Sale their exit.
Josh van der Flier, who’s looked in a bit of bother for a while, is replaced by Scott Penny.
Leinster 12 Sale 6
47 MINS: Ryan Baird pinged for coming in at the side as Sale went to form a maul.
George Ford opts to kick and it’s a good one.
The visitors are also back up to 14 players as Dan du Preez makes his return.
Leinster 12 Sale 6
44 MINS: TRY FOR LEINSTER!
Garry Ringrose finds Ryan Baird who makes a run up the line. He’s unselfish and sends the pass to Hugo Keenan to finish the move.
Harry Byrne misses the conversion just after Sale prop Si McIntyre is sent to the bin for making contact with James Ryan’s head in a tackle.
Leinster 12 Sale 3
42 MINS: Electric break from Rieko Ioane but he’s utterly isolated and is brought to ground 10 meters shy of the Sale line and they turn it over with great work from Jacques Vermeulen.
Josh van der Flier looks in a bit of bother but he’s not ready to tap out just yet, opting to play on.
Leinster 7 Sale 3
The teams are back on the field for the second half. Leinster still with the numerical advantage as Dan du Preez starts the half in the sin bin.
George Ford gets play back under way.
Half-time change for Sale as fullback Joe Carpenter makes way for
Leinster 7 Sale 3
Leinster lead at the break in Dublin after a try from Dan Sheehan, converted by Harry Byrne.
Half-time: Leinster 7 Sale 3
40 MINS: Clock goes into the red with Sale on the attack. George Ford attempts the drop goal but it’s halfhearted, pulling well right of the posts.
Referee blows the half-time whistle.
Half-time: Leinster 7 Sale 3
39 MINS: Leinster knock on on the ground five meters from the Sale line. Let off for the visitors, who now have the put-in to the scrum.
Only seven in their scrum now with Dan du Preez in the bin, but they manage, kicking to the 22.
Leinster 7 Sale 3
37 MINS: TMO taking a look at a potential deliberate knock-on from Sale.
Gibson-Park played the pass to van der Flier and Leinster claim Dan du Preez put a hand to it.
TMO agrees with the hosts and du Preez is shown a yellow card. Big boost for Leinster nearing the break.
Leinster 7 Sale 3
35 MINS: Joe McCarthy penalised at the breakdown and Sale go for the posts.
George Ford finally gets them on the board.
Leinster 7 Sale 3
32 MINS: Rieko Ioane shows his pace to chase a kick from Gibson-Park. The cavalry arrive in support, but Josh van der Flier sends a sloppy pass of the back of a ruck which Joe McCarthy can do nothing with.
In the scrum, Sale dominate once again to draw another penalty.
Leinster 7 Sale 0
29 MINS: Leinster win a penalty off a Sale scrum.
Gibson-Park opts for the tap-and-go but Jamie Osborne knocks on for Sale to turn it over. They make no progress so it’s called back for the scrum.
Play is halted while Tadhg Furlong receives some treatment but he’s soon good to go again.
Sale win a penalty from the scrum, George Ford kicking to give them an attacking lineout on the 22.
Leinster 7 Sale 0
26 MINS: Nice kick pass from Harry Byrne to find Tommy O’Brien who kicks downfield to touch. Leinster feel Sale put a touch on it but referee doesn’t concur.
The kicking duel goes on despite neither side using it to much effect so far.
Leinster 7 Sale 0
22 MINS: Joe McCarthy comes back on, Cahir making way.
Rare spill from Hugo Keenan but the referee calls a penalty for contact in the air.
Leinster 7 Sale 0
19 MINS: Rieko Ioane a bit too eager to replicate his strong showing in last weekend’s win. He’s been iffy in the air and he’s lucky not to draw a penalty for going off his feet at the breakdown.
Sale with the put-in to the scrum. Leinster manage that one better and the visitors again go to the boot for Hugo Keenan to mop up.
George Ford does well to keep Keenan’s touch attempt infield.
Leinster 7 Sale 0
17 MINS: Sale starting to knit some good phases together but opt to kick to test the Leinster backfield.
But Hugo Keenan does brilliantly under the high ball to claim George Ford’s kick.
Leinster 7 Sale 0
14 MINS: Leinster going through the hands but spill on the 22. Sale send a long kick into the Leinster half which Harry Byrne struggles to deal with.
Leinster scramble back and Gibson-Park attempts the clearance but he misses touch, giving Sale the throw in to the lineout.
Leinster 7 Sale 0
TRY FOR LEINSTER!
11 MINS: Dan Sheehan bolts over for the opener. He’s fed off the back of a ruck by Jamison Gibson-Park to cross under the posts.
Harry Byrne converts.
Leinster 7 Sale 0
9 MINS: Chance for Tommy O’Brien after another turnover. He makes a break and chips ahead but it doesn’t bounce in his favour and a good scramble from Sale’s Joe Carpenter sees it out.
Leinster win a penalty from the lineout.
Joe McCarthy is bleeding so Max Deegan comes in while he gets patched up.
Leinster 0 Sale 0
7 MINS: Sale lineout 10-meters out from their own line. They safely take it to ground and send a clearance kick which Ioane challenges for to win back possession for Leinster.
Leinster 0 Sale 0
4 MINS: Some early nerves showing as Leinster Rieko Ioane knocks on. Tommy O’Brien had done well to turn it over before Byrne went to the boot. The chase isn’t there though and the All Black knocks forward on the bounce.
And trouble for Leinster as Alex Usanov goes off injured. Jerry Cahir takes his place in the frontrow.
Leinster 0 Sale 0
2 MINS: Huge scrum for Sale to win the penalty despite Leinster having the put-in. Leinster hold firm for a start but then comes the visitors’ shove.
George Ford sends them up the line.
Leinster 0 Sale 0
In the spirit of the Grand National, they’re off.
Harry Byrne gets us under way at the Aviva.
Early penalty for the hosts after winning a turnover at the opening ruck.
Leinster 0 Sale 0
Rain has set in at the Aviva just in time for kick-off.
Three minutes out now.
Here’s Nathan Johns’ report on England’s Women’s Six Nations win over Ireland:
[ England too strong for Ireland in Women’s Six Nations opener in TwickenhamOpens in new window ]
And earlier in the Challenge Cup, Connacht suffered a heavy defeat away to Montpellier:
[ Costly yellows bring Connacht’s European journey to an end in MontpellierOpens in new window ]
In the last of this weekend’s Champions Cup quarter-finals, French heavyweights Bordeaux Bègles host Toulouse tomorrow (kick-off 3pm Irish time).
In this week’s Counter Ruck newsletter, Gerry Thornley acknowledges while it may be a pity that the side’s are meeting early in the knockout stages, it’s still a mouth-watering pairing.
[ It’s a pity Bordeaux and Toulouse are meeting so soon, but enjoy it all the sameOpens in new window ]
You can sign up here to receive the Counter Ruck newsletter straight to your inbox every week.
Thirty minutes to kick-off at the Aviva.
Last night, Ulster took a big win over Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle in Belfast to march on to the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup.
The Ward brothers, Zac and Bryn, were in flying form, both crossing the line for Richie Murphy’s side, while Nathan Doak had an excellent evening off the tee despite fairly miserable conditions.
Read Michael Sadlier’s report on the 41-24 win below:
[ Ulster blitz La Rochelle in Belfast to reach Challenge Cup semi-finalsOpens in new window ]
“Leinster have played Premiership teams 81 times in the Champions Cup, overcoming them on 60 occasions, drawing twice and losing 19,” Gerry Thornley writes, taking a look at past encounters with English outfits.
It’s a point worth reading into given their defeat to Northampton Saints in last season’s semi-final.
GT also has a bit of trivia for us: “Of the 12 Premiership clubs Leinster have faced, the identity of the only one they have failed to beat comes as a surprise.”
Any guesses?
Answer: London Irish – “who rocked Cheika’s champions in the 2009-10 pool opener at the RDS by winning 12-9 and held Leinster to an 11-11 draw at Twickenham in the pool finale.”
[ Leinster used to thrive in English tests but Sale clash spells dangerOpens in new window ]
In the Women’s Six Nations, England have beaten Ireland at Twickenham in the opening round of the tournament.
We’ll have a report from Nathan Johns on that shortly.
“Leinster are looking for a statement performance to continue their upward curve entering the business end of the season, as well as safe passage through to a sixth Champions Cup semi-final in succession,” writes Gerry Thornley.
“But they are acutely wary of a big-hitting Sale Sharks with that dangerous concoction of having little to lose and history to make.
“Cast adrift of the Premiership playoffs in an injury-ravaged season, this is Sale’s biggest game yet of the season as it offers the prize of reaching a first-ever semi-final in the competition.
“Leinster are also a highly prized scalp.”
Read Gerry’s preview in full below:
[ Leinster wary Sale have little to lose in Champions Cup quarter-finalOpens in new window ]
And so we’re all in the loop with goings-on further afield, I Am Maximus has just won the 2026 Grand National at Aintree for trainer Willie Mullins and owner JP McManus.
Leinster will be without captain Caelan Doris after he had a head knock during last weekend’s Round of 16 win over Edinburgh.
Andrew Porter is also sidelined with a pec injury which saw him depart last Sunday’s game at half-time.
Dan Sheehan fills in as captain alongside academy prop Alex Usanov in the frontrow.
“Alex has been great since he’s come into the team. In more recent times, you’re seeing him really kick on,” said head coach Leo Cullen of 23-yer-old Usanov during the week.
[ Dan Sheehan to captain Leinster against Sale with Caelan Doris missing outOpens in new window ]
Afternoon everyone! Welcome along to The Irish Times live blog of the Champions Cup quarter-final between Leinster and Sale Sharks.
The game at the Aviva Stadium kicks-off at 5.30pm.
We’ll be keeping you up to date with all the action, followed by a report from Gerry Thornley, as well as reaction and analysis from himself and Johnny Watterson.
In the meantime, we’ll be running through some news and analysis to have you all set before kick-off.
Here’s how the two sides line out:
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jamie Osborne, Rieko Ioane; Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Alex Usanov, Dan Sheehan (capt), Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan. Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Jerry Cahir, Thomas Clarkson, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Ciarán Frawley, Robbie Henshaw.
SALE SHARKS: Joe Carpenter; Tom Roebuck, Rob du Preez, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Tom O’Flaherty; George Ford, Gus Warr; Si McIntyre, Ethan Caine, Asher Opoku-Fordjour; Ernst van Rhyn (capt), Ben Bamber; Jacques Vermeulen, Sam Dugdale, Dan du Preez. Replacements: Alfie Longstaff, Ralph McEachran, James Harper, Reuben Logan, Jos Gilmore, Dom Hanson, Marius Louw, Alex Wills.
