Irish Sunday Mirror

RUGBY HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP

- BY MICHAEL SCULLY

LEINSTER blew away Toulouse to put a home Champions Cup quarter-final within their grasp.

The reigning champions marched into pole position in Pool 1 by leapfroggi­ng the Red and Blacks with a bonus point victory at the RDS.

Leinster still have to beat Wasps away next Sunday to secure the prize they want – a home tie at the Aviva Stadium in the last eight.

They could have Johnny Sexton, Rob Kearney and Robbie Henshaw back but Luke Mcgrath suffered a suspected knee injury on the hour mark.

“We’ll see what happens next week, they’re not a million miles away,” said head coach Leo Cullen. “Luke has done some damage to his knee, he was sore coming off.

“But I’m delighted with the way the younger lads stepped up. It was very, very pleasing that the lads fought so hard for each other, you could see how much it means to them.”

Bolstered by a 12-match unbeaten run, Toulouse were facing a Leinster side ravaged by injury and suspension but Ross Byrne, in only his fourth European start, steered the Blues to a comfortabl­e win in front of the 18,493 crowd. Leinster definitive­ly answered Cullen’s eve of match call to step up and, in doing so, the province leapfrogge­d the Top 14 giants to take a three-point lead in the pool.

A repeat performanc­e at Wasps will be enough to clinch that home quarter-final, regardless of what Toulouse manage at home to Bath.

Toulouse nicked a one-point home victory over Leinster in October but their attempts to play their dangerous counter-attacking game were snuffed out save for Cheslin Kolbe’s last-gasp try.

Byrne kicked Leinster into a sixth minute lead but a scrum penalty for Toulouse in the hosts’ 22 allowed Thomas Ramos to level it soon after.

Leinster’s first sustained attack saw them hold possession through 38 phases but it took the timely interventi­on of Yoann Huget to deny Adam Byrne a try.

But Toulouse’s attempt to extract full value for that ended with Huget’s knock-on in a promising position, after Sofiane Guitoune had run over Ross Byrne in midfield.

A high tackle by Jerome Kaino on Garry Ringrose earned Leinster a penalty in midfield and put them back on the front foot but Kolbe did brilliantl­y to prevent Mcgrath’s snipe for the try line from bearing fruit. Five minutes from the break, however, Leinster made the breakthrou­gh when Jack Conan stormed through to score.

A Ramos penalty made it 10-6 at the break but Toulouse had no answer to Leinster’s pressure from the restart.

The home side made it count in the 51st minute, Ross Byrne’s inch-perfect cross-kick setting up Dave Kearney for the second try.

The winger, in his first European start in three years, scored despite Romain Ntamack’s attempt to knock him into touch.

Sean Cronin then barged over in the 56th minute.

Byrne’s conversion made it 22-6 but the move came at a cost as Mcgrath was carried off.

Leinster’s defence stayed strong to deny Toulouse before a long pass by replacemen­t scrum-half Jamison Gibson-park sent Adam Byrne in for the fourth try.

Noel Reid converted as Conor O’brien was introduced for his European debut and Kolbe’s try-scoring break in the final moments was scant consolatio­n.

 ??  ?? BONUS Winger Adam Byrne bags fourth try
BONUS Winger Adam Byrne bags fourth try
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