Leinster beat Sale Sharks to reach Champions Cup semi-final

Leinster Beat Sale Sharks To Reach Home Semi-Final

Leinster booked a home Investec Champions Cup semi-final against RC Toulon after pulling away for a convincing win over Sale Sharks in Dublin.

Dan Sheehan, named Investec Player of the Match, led from the front with powerful carries, sharp line breaks and strong work around the field.

After the game, the Leinster captain said the team were exactly where they wanted to be, pointing to the reward of a home semi-final after what he described as an uneven season.

“It’s exactly where we want to be”, he said,

“It’s been a bit of a weird season with the ups and downs, but we’ve got a home semi-final we can get excited for.

“The first half was a bit disappointing - we were stuck in third gear but the lads pulled through and the bench had its impact.

“We had to work hard for our points. Sale put us under massive pressure. It took us a while to break them down”, he finished.

Sale Make Leinster Work In Tight First Half

The first half was a tougher battle than the final score suggested. Sale put Leinster under serious pressure, slowed the tempo and forced the hosts to earn every point. Leinster were not fully at their best before the interval and had to rely on patience and physicality to stay on top.

Jack Conan echoed the praise for his captain afterwards, describing Sheehan as an outstanding athlete for a hooker and highlighting how dangerous he becomes whenever he spots even the smallest opening.

"He's some athlete for a hooker - he's probably the second or third fastest forward we have. Whenever he gets a sniff, he's gone", he said.

Leinster Find Another Gear After The Break

The contest changed early in the second half when Hugo Keenan found space intelligently and finished a key try that gave Leinster fresh momentum. The full-back was influential again soon after under the high ball, helping create the next score as Sale began to lose their grip on the match.

Rieko Ioane then went over for Leinster’s fourth try, underlining the hosts’ growing control as their attack started to flow with much more freedom.

O’Brien And Osborne Finish It Off

Tommy O’Brien added Leinster’s fifth try, continuing his recent scoring form with a third try in two weeks. Sale did manage a late response through Alex Wills, but by then they were chasing a game that had slipped away from them.

Jamie Osborne then put the tie beyond doubt in the final minute, running in from 40 metres to complete the scoring and seal Leinster’s sixth successive Champions Cup semi-final appearance.