The date for Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final against Toulon depends on the outcome of Sunday’s last quarter-final between Bordeaux Bègles and Toulouse.
If Bordeaux win, the champions will host Bath on Sunday, May 3rd, meaning Leinster will face Toulon at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, May 2nd. Alternatively, if Toulouse win in Bordeaux, the six-time winners will host Bath on the Saturday, so Leinster would be at home to Toulon the following day.
Either way, Leinster have reached a 17th semi-final after their 43-13 quarter-final win over Sale Sharks. It will be their sixth successive final-four tie and their fifth in a row at home. Although, as head coach Leo Cullen pointed out after Saturday’s win, last season’s devastating loss to Northampton showed there are no guarantees.
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“We were here (at the Aviva) for the semi-final last year and we didn’t manage to get the job done,” said Cullen.
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A cautious approach is particularly justified against the French opponents who by dint of an impressive 22-19 win over Glasgow at their Scotstoun fortress and have caused Leinster plenty of grief in this tournament.
“They’ve an all-star squad, haven’t they? They’ve plenty of firepower there,” Cullen said of Toulon. “It’s another great challenge for us as a group. It’s great to again be in the semi-final of the tournament, but we know how bloody tough it is.
“Glasgow were probably the form team in Europe going into this weekend and they (Toulon) managed to get the job done up there.”
He added: “They’re a team that has caused plenty of pain, towards the tail end of my playing career and into my early coaching career. It causes a lot of pain. Some very, very tough days against them that I can remember.”
Toulon beat Leinster in the latter two seasons of their 2012-2015 three-in-a-row run, and then did the double over Leinster in 2015/16, Cullen’s first season as head coach.
“They’re a team with some serious firepower. But in between now and then, we’ve got some URC action to look forward to. Ulster in six days’ time, speaking of teams that are in very, very good form at the moment.”
Cullen didn’t shed too much light on the injuries which forced off Alex Usanov early in the first half and Josh van der Flier in the second.
Asked if he was confident Leinster would pull clear despite only leading 7-3 at the break, the head coach replied: “We were hopeful, definitely. Sale are an unbelievably physical team. They’ve got guys that love whacking into things and they’ve got halfbacks that are very efficient in terms of playing a territory game.
“They can be a challenge to play against and you need to be very clinical in terms of taking some opportunities. We were close on a few occasions but then they lose the ball in a few different ways inside their 22 or just around their 22.
“It was always going to be that little bit of an arm-wrestle and you’re going to have to be patient in taking chances, or maybe if we were a bit more clinical then it forces them to play in a slightly different way.
“It was pleasing to see some of the tries that we scored then as the game went on. Ryan (Baird) makes a break up one sideline off the back of Garry (Ringrose) and you get the ball back inside to you. I’m not quite sure what he was doing passing us. It made the conversion a little bit easier.
“Then he obviously scores the try up the edge himself. He shows great athleticism to score there. Then a couple of more tries later on which is pleasing, but at that stage it’s just about getting the job done. It was a great group effort.
“It’s always tricky with a six-day turn around into the game. Managing the group, a couple of guys in, a couple of guys out, that’s the way it is.
“But it just takes a huge squad effort, hookers playing at number eight, just making sure that we get the job done ultimately is the most important bit.”
