Furlong should be fit for final

LEINSTER coach Leo Cullen said the ankle injury which forced his tighthead Tadhg Furlong off in the opening quarter doesn’t appear serious as he’s confident he will have the British & Irish Lion fit as they bid for glory on two fronts.

“Tadhg seems to be okay there,” Cullen said. “You can see him hobbling so he’s done something to his ankle but he doesn’t seem to be too bad.

“The extent of it will get figured out in the next couple of days.”

Cullen is also hopeful that hooker Ronan Kelleher, who went for a HIA after 47 minutes, will be available for their URC and Champions Cup bids, while double try scorer James Lowe was treated for a leg injury in the final minute.

Cullen is likely to rotate players for next weekend’s clash with Munster and he was pleased with the way they dispatched the European champions.

“I thought it was a good performance overall, still parts that were weak. There is still room for growth as always but to deliver a big performance in the semi-final is pleasing.

“It’s great to get on to the next one so we’ll watch with great interest how Racing go against La Rochelle.”

Leinster captain Johnny Sexton added: “We are incredibly proud. Any time you get to a final you are extremely happy but, in some ways, it is only half done.

“We have to go again against Racing 92 or La Rochelle, who are both quality sides.

“We have been a champion team before and we will draw on all of our experiences.

“The last time we were in a final, we were outplayed against Saracens and we didn’t turn up on the day. We have to learn from that lesson and hopefully we can go one better this year.”