Leinster Vs Toulon: Porter Returns for Dublin Semi-Final
Leinster vs Toulon lands in Dublin on Saturday at 15:00 with a place in the Champions Cup final in Bilbao on May 23 at stake. Leinster have not won the competition for eight years and have lost four finals since their last title, while Toulon arrive as a side that has already flipped the knockout draw and taken the underdog route to the last four.
Leinster’s front-row shift
Tadhg Furlong’s absence changes the shape of Leinster’s pack straight away. He limped off last week at Benetton and misses out, so Tom Clarkson starts at tighthead prop while Andrew Porter has been passed fit to begin at loosehead prop. Hugo Keenan returns at full-back, Rieko Ioane moves to the wing, and Garry Ringrose links with Robbie Henshaw in the centres.
That gives Leo Cullen a few pieces back in place for a home semi-final, but it also leaves Leinster carrying the same pressure that followed them through last season’s semi-final defeat to Northampton. They reached the last four again by beating Edinburgh and Sale, then stumbled 29-26 away at Benetton last weekend.
Toulon’s free-hit push
Pierre Mignoni takes Toulon into the game with a side that has nothing to lose and a route that few expected. Toulon beat the Stormers and Glasgow in the knockout rounds, with the Glasgow win coming by one point and turning the draw in Leinster’s favour. They have also won their last two Top 14 fixtures and are on a four-game winning run.
Ben White starts ahead of Baptiste Serin at scrum-half, and Kyle Sinckler faces Porter in the front row. Daniel Brennan is among the Toulon reserves. Toulon’s own history still matters: they won the Champions Cup three times in a row between 2013 and 2015, so this semi-final is not being framed by reputation alone.
Bilbao on the line
The numbers make the scale of the match plain. Leinster are 1/4 to win and reach the final in Bilbao on May 23, Toulon are 3/1, and the draw is 25/1. Leinster also carry the baggage of recurring problems in the scrum and on the fringes in defence, while Ringrose has been in and out of the side all season through injuries and Ioane has struggled to adapt to the system.
That leaves a sharp edge to a home semi-final that should suit Leinster on paper but still asks them to solve the same issues that have followed them through recent knockout exits. If they do, they get another shot at the trophy they last lifted eight years ago; if they do not, Toulon’s underdog run keeps moving toward Bilbao.
