Leinster v Toulon
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Saturday 2 May, 3.00pm
Where can we watch it?
This Champions Cup semi-final is live on Premier Sports 1.
Coverage starts at 2.00pm.
What kind of crowd is expected?
Ticket sales moved past the 35,000 mark on Friday, and tournament organisers EPCR, who are responsible for selling tickets at this stage of the competition, will hope to shift a few more thousand by kick-off time today. Toulon said they expect around 400 of their fans to be in Dublin.
With a capacity of 51,711, there is plenty more room at the Aviva Stadium, where a crowd of 42,207 watched Leinster’s loss to Northampton at this stage of the Champions Cup last season.
The other semi-final this weekend between Bordeaux and Bath, which takes place at the 42,100-capacity Stade Atlantique Bordeaux Métropole, sold out within a few hours last month.
What’s the team news?
After strong concerns about Leinster’s options at loosehead prop, Andrew Porter has been passed fit to make his return for Leinster after four weeks on the sidelines with a shoulder/pec injury. Jerry Cahir backs him up from the bench.
Andrew Porter is back from injury. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Leinster have opted for the experienced Robbie Henshaw at inside centre ahead of Jamie Osborne, who has been playing there in recent weeks, while All Blacks international Rieko Ioane has been named on the left wing ahead of the in-form Jimmy O’Brien.
Tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong isn’t fit to feature, but Thomas Clarkson has developed plenty of experience there and will be backed up by the grizzled Rabah Slimani.
Left wing James Lowe returned to training this week but hasn’t been included in the matchday 23, while the versatile Ciarán Frawley is another back who is unfortunate to miss out.
As Leinster go with a 5/3 split, out-half Sam Prendergast returns to the Leinster bench, having missed out on the matchday 23s for the round of 16 and quarter-final. With RG Snyman and Ryan Baird sidelined, Alex Soroka is set for his Champions Cup debut off the bench.
Toulon, meanwhile, have been able to recall captain David Ribbans in the second row after he sat out last weekend’s Top 14 win over Bayonne as he nursed a back issue.
France international Charles Ollivon also returns after being rested from Top 14 action over the last two weekends, meaning he should be fit and firing.
Former Munster centre Antoine Frisch, only recently back from injury, misses out on selection as 35-year-old Jérémy Sinzelle retains the number 12 shirt he wore for the quarter-final win over Glasgow.
Toulon centre Jérémy Sinzelle. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Toulon have gone for a 6/2 bench split that includes lineout menace Esteban Abadie, rangy back row Zach Mercer, and wily scrum-half Baptiste Serin.
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LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Rieko Ioane; Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier; Caelan Doris (captain).
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Jerry Cahir, Rabah Slimani, Alex Soroka, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne.
TOULON: Melvyn Jaminet; Gaël Drean, Nacho Brex, Jérémy Sinzelle, Setariki Tuicuvu; Tomas Albornoz, Ben White; Jean-Baptiste Gros, Teddy Baubigny, Kyle Sinckler; Corentin Mezou, David Ribbans (captain); Junior Kpoku, Charles Ollivon, Mikheil Shioshvili.
Leinster are coming off the back of a late defeat to Benetton in the URC, which ended a four-game winning run in all competitions.
With head coach Leo Cullen starting most of his frontliners, it was a strong Leinster selection, but their performance was a mix of good stuff and a fair share of bad stuff against what was a spirited Benetton showing.
Toulon team manager Mathieu Bastareaud. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
That has essentially been the story of Leinster’s URC season, which has been inconsistent. Cullen’s men have had a more convincing time of it in the Champions Cup, winning all four of their pool games before beating Edinburgh and Sale in the knock-out stages.
They’ve been in some battles against the likes of La Rochelle, Bayonne, and Leicester along the way, coming through demanding tests in those games with a show of composure.
They’ll take some belief from that and with two-time World Cup winner Jacques Nienaber helping to drive them on, Leinster will be backing themselves to go up another few gears for this semi-final. They’re viewed as 11-point favourites.
Toulon continued their recent resurgence with two wins in the Top 14 in the two weekends since their impressive Champions Cup quarter-final win away to Glasgow.
Pierre Mignoni’s side had been having a fairly unhappy domestic campaign until recently but those victories against Montauban and Bayonne have lifted them to eighth in the table, five match points off the play-off spots.
After opening their Champions Cup campaign with a loss in Edinburgh, the French side turned things around with an impressive beating of Bath at home in a thrilling game in December, before winning against Munster and Gloucester the following month.
They squeezed past the Stormers on home soil in the round of 16 and then edged out Glasgow in Scotland in the quarter-final. Toulon’s sense is that they are beginning to become a proper sum of their parts at the business end of the season.
What’s next?
Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
The Champions Cup final on 23 May in Bilbao will see the winner of today’s semi-final meet the winner of Sunday’s second semi-final between Bordeaux and Bath.
While Bordeaux lost both of their recent Top 14 games, including at home against Montpellier last weekend when their big guns played, they have been in red-hot form in the Champions Cup.
But what lies ahead shouldn’t be of interest to Leinster today. As they later admitted, there may have been a little complacency involved last year when they failed to pitch up at their best in the semi-final defeat by Northampton.
Leinster have to show they’ve learned the hard way, but Toulon’s plan is to spoil the party in Dublin today.
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Toulon stand in the way of Leinster's return to Champions Cup final
Leinster v Toulon
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Saturday 2 May, 3.00pm
Where can we watch it?
This Champions Cup semi-final is live on Premier Sports 1.
Coverage starts at 2.00pm.
What kind of crowd is expected?
Ticket sales moved past the 35,000 mark on Friday, and tournament organisers EPCR, who are responsible for selling tickets at this stage of the competition, will hope to shift a few more thousand by kick-off time today. Toulon said they expect around 400 of their fans to be in Dublin.
With a capacity of 51,711, there is plenty more room at the Aviva Stadium, where a crowd of 42,207 watched Leinster’s loss to Northampton at this stage of the Champions Cup last season.
The other semi-final this weekend between Bordeaux and Bath, which takes place at the 42,100-capacity Stade Atlantique Bordeaux Métropole, sold out within a few hours last month.
What’s the team news?
After strong concerns about Leinster’s options at loosehead prop, Andrew Porter has been passed fit to make his return for Leinster after four weeks on the sidelines with a shoulder/pec injury. Jerry Cahir backs him up from the bench.
Leinster have opted for the experienced Robbie Henshaw at inside centre ahead of Jamie Osborne, who has been playing there in recent weeks, while All Blacks international Rieko Ioane has been named on the left wing ahead of the in-form Jimmy O’Brien.
Tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong isn’t fit to feature, but Thomas Clarkson has developed plenty of experience there and will be backed up by the grizzled Rabah Slimani.
Left wing James Lowe returned to training this week but hasn’t been included in the matchday 23, while the versatile Ciarán Frawley is another back who is unfortunate to miss out.
As Leinster go with a 5/3 split, out-half Sam Prendergast returns to the Leinster bench, having missed out on the matchday 23s for the round of 16 and quarter-final. With RG Snyman and Ryan Baird sidelined, Alex Soroka is set for his Champions Cup debut off the bench.
Toulon, meanwhile, have been able to recall captain David Ribbans in the second row after he sat out last weekend’s Top 14 win over Bayonne as he nursed a back issue.
France international Charles Ollivon also returns after being rested from Top 14 action over the last two weekends, meaning he should be fit and firing.
Former Munster centre Antoine Frisch, only recently back from injury, misses out on selection as 35-year-old Jérémy Sinzelle retains the number 12 shirt he wore for the quarter-final win over Glasgow.
Toulon have gone for a 6/2 bench split that includes lineout menace Esteban Abadie, rangy back row Zach Mercer, and wily scrum-half Baptiste Serin.
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Rieko Ioane; Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier; Caelan Doris (captain).
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Jerry Cahir, Rabah Slimani, Alex Soroka, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne.
TOULON: Melvyn Jaminet; Gaël Drean, Nacho Brex, Jérémy Sinzelle, Setariki Tuicuvu; Tomas Albornoz, Ben White; Jean-Baptiste Gros, Teddy Baubigny, Kyle Sinckler; Corentin Mezou, David Ribbans (captain); Junior Kpoku, Charles Ollivon, Mikheil Shioshvili.
Replacements: Gianmarco Lucchesi, Daniel Brennan, Beka Gigashvili, Matthias Halagahu, Zach Mercer, Baptiste Serin, Esteban Abadie, Mathis Ferte.
Referee: Luke Pearce [RFU].
How’s the form?
Leinster are coming off the back of a late defeat to Benetton in the URC, which ended a four-game winning run in all competitions.
With head coach Leo Cullen starting most of his frontliners, it was a strong Leinster selection, but their performance was a mix of good stuff and a fair share of bad stuff against what was a spirited Benetton showing.
That has essentially been the story of Leinster’s URC season, which has been inconsistent. Cullen’s men have had a more convincing time of it in the Champions Cup, winning all four of their pool games before beating Edinburgh and Sale in the knock-out stages.
They’ve been in some battles against the likes of La Rochelle, Bayonne, and Leicester along the way, coming through demanding tests in those games with a show of composure.
They’ll take some belief from that and with two-time World Cup winner Jacques Nienaber helping to drive them on, Leinster will be backing themselves to go up another few gears for this semi-final. They’re viewed as 11-point favourites.
Toulon continued their recent resurgence with two wins in the Top 14 in the two weekends since their impressive Champions Cup quarter-final win away to Glasgow.
Pierre Mignoni’s side had been having a fairly unhappy domestic campaign until recently but those victories against Montauban and Bayonne have lifted them to eighth in the table, five match points off the play-off spots.
After opening their Champions Cup campaign with a loss in Edinburgh, the French side turned things around with an impressive beating of Bath at home in a thrilling game in December, before winning against Munster and Gloucester the following month.
They squeezed past the Stormers on home soil in the round of 16 and then edged out Glasgow in Scotland in the quarter-final. Toulon’s sense is that they are beginning to become a proper sum of their parts at the business end of the season.
What’s next?
The Champions Cup final on 23 May in Bilbao will see the winner of today’s semi-final meet the winner of Sunday’s second semi-final between Bordeaux and Bath.
While Bordeaux lost both of their recent Top 14 games, including at home against Montpellier last weekend when their big guns played, they have been in red-hot form in the Champions Cup.
But what lies ahead shouldn’t be of interest to Leinster today. As they later admitted, there may have been a little complacency involved last year when they failed to pitch up at their best in the semi-final defeat by Northampton.
Leinster have to show they’ve learned the hard way, but Toulon’s plan is to spoil the party in Dublin today.
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Champions Cup Leinster Pilou Pilou Preview Toulon