God, that was a nervous last couple of minutes and needlessly so. Leinster were firmly in the driving seat until Hawkins’ try at the death and to be honest, had Leicester somehow forced it into extra-time it would have been extremely harsh on the hosts.
It wasn’t a vintage performance by Leinster by any means, but there were plenty of things to admire. The defence was superb, while the front row led by example, none more so than man of the match Richardt Strauss. A lot of the backline moves were very close to coming off, but just faltered at the final minute, apart from the try by Isa Nacewa which was a joy to watch.
Leinster deserving winners then, and will hold no fears over Biarritz or Toulouse when they come to the Aviva Stadium in three weeks time. Now, all the attention turns to Ulster tomorrow and hopefully they can do the business against Northampton, make it two Irish teams in the semi-finals and complete a magnificent weekend for Irish rugby. That’s all from me for the evening, thanks for tuning in.
Full-time
Knock on Leicester and it’s all over!
The 80 minutes are up, can Leicester conjure an equaliser?
One minute remaining…
Leicester on the front foot again and making worrying strides up the pitch, they’re into the Leinster 22 already.
Flood nails the conversion and the last couple of minutes could be hairy for Leinster. Seven points in it with two and a half minutes on the clock.
TRY LEICESTER (HAWKINS)
Leicester perilously close to a consolation try and they’v got it through substitute Rob Hawkins from close range.
Fergus McFadden comes on for Shane Horgan for the last five minutes.
Sky’s Stuart Barnes gives the man of the match award to Richardt Strauss and it’s a well deserved award, he’s been dynamic all day long. Cian Healy and Mike Ross a close second and third in the running.
Facing into a banner which reads Sexton’s on Fire, the out half nails his kick for a score that should pretty much seal the win for the hosts. Kicking has been excellent from the out half, who hasn’t been very prominent in open play.
Penalty Leinster, decent chance for Sexton to push the gap out to 14 points.
Lovely kick by Luke Fitzgerald, which forces Waldron into a hurried clearance and gives Leinster a lineout ten metres out. Good to see a positive contribution from Fitzgerald, it’s been a difficult day for him so far.
Two opportunites for Leinster in quick succession. Lovely link up by Fitzgerald and O’Driscoll in the first instance ends up with O’Driscoll being forced out over the line close to the try line, quickly followed by Nathan Hines coming up short after a typically barnstorming Sean O’Brien run. Leinster finishing with a flourish.
I said earlier it’s not Luke Fitzgerald’s day, but it’s not been Toby Flood’s day either. The out-half attempts to pin Leinster in their own 22, but his kick goes beyond the line and will be brought back to close to the halfway for a Leinster scrum. Dominic Ryan comes on for Kevin McLaughlin in the meantime.
15 minutes for Leicester to stage a comeback. They haven’t looked like doing so, but a score in the next five minutes would put the cat amongst the pigeons.
Leicester don’t look like they’re going to score this evening. After seemingly endless phases in the Leinster 22, their latest attack is let down by a knock on by Agulla and Leinster get the put in to the scrum.
Super turnover ball by Brian O’Driscoll and he’s showing the wounds of battle, with blood flowing out of his nose. Isaac Boss coming on for the last 20 minutes for Eoin Reddan, who has been excellent today.
God, it’s not Luke Fitzgerald’s day. He’s lost the ball in contact again, having knocked on at least three balls already today. He’s obviously suffering from a lack of confidence and it’s a pity to see such a good player playing so poorly.
From a position almost exactly the same as the one he missed for England against Ireland a few weeks back, Toby Flood misses an easy kick yet again. Leicester needed that one, but Flood pooed himself at the crucial moment.
Penalty Leicester, Nathan Hines off his feet and Toby Flood has a good chance from the 22 straight in front of the posts.
The beast Martin Castrogiovanni comes on instead of Dan Cole for Leicester. Cian Healy has been superb for Leinster today, however, and shouldn’t be unduly worried.
Sexton misses the kick and Leinster remain 11 points in front.
Brilliant stuff from Isa Nacewa. Fitzgerald fumbled again after what was an excellent attack from Leinster, but Leicester’s clearance kick was poor and Horgan released Nacewa who dodged his way through a series of Leinster’s tackles to reach over the line and touch the ball down. Super counter attack from Leinster that got its just rewards. 14-3 Leinster.
TRY LEINSTER (NACEWA)
Great work by Sean O’Brien to force Tuilagi over the touchline and prevent a Leicester try. The big winger went through Brian O’Driscoll on the wing and looked to have nailed a five pointer but his foot was just in touch. Justice done in any case because there was almost certainly a forward pass in the build up to the try. Let off for Leinster, but Leicester have been knocking at the door since half-time.
Try not given!
TMO DECISION PENDING…
TRY LEICESTER (TUILAGI)
Back underway at the Aviva.
Half-time wrap:
Very little between the sides first half, but Leinster are definitely on top. Not everything coming off for Joe Schmidt’s side, but you get the feeling that it will at some stage, there’s definitely a try in them. On the other side, they’re coping relatively comfortably with what Leicester have thrown at them, but there have been a couple of occasions that the visitors have put them under pressure.
Not a classic by any means, but fascinating to watch all the same. The game is far from over, but the ball is certainly in Leinster’s court.
Half-time.
Lovely kick by Sexton to pin Leicester in their own 22 with just enough time for the lineout before half-time. Leicester win it and kick the ball out, content to be six points down at the break.
Sexton dispatches it with ease and Leinster go six points in front.
Another good attack from Leinster. Fitzgerald and Nacewa combine to release Sexton down the left. Sexton’s chip ahead is gathered and cleared by Youngs, but Tuilagi committed an offence on the chasing Sexton and Leinster have a penalty.
An awful lot of nearly moments for Leinster so far, Sexton with the latest one. After a dummy pass, the out half makes a half break but his attempted pass inside goes narrowly forward. If that had went to hand Leinster were in the clear.
Leinster getting nowhere in the centre of the pitch and Sexton elects to kick for territory but gets it horribly wrong. The ball slices off his boot and goes out on the full on halfway. Echoes of the kick that led to the controversial Wales try during the Six Nations.
Louis Deacon off for Leicester, Ed Slater on in his place. Deacon struggling with what looks to be an achilles injury.
Leicester take a scrum against the head and it sparks a bout of fisticuffs between both front rows. Handbags really, but a good psychological boost for the visitors.
Another fumble by Luke Fitzgerald in the middle of the pitch after lovely play by O’Driscoll and Nacewa. It was a difficult pass to take on the inside line, but he’ll be cursing himself all the same.
Once again, Leinster’s defence in excellent as Leicester go through phase after phase and go closer and closer to Leinster’s line. Leinster hold firm and Toby Flood is punished for going off his feet at the ruck. A little harsh perhaps, but good cover by Leinster once more.
Luke Fitzgerald has just missed an absoulte sitter for Leinster. Lovely rugby by Leinster once again and after excellent contributions from O’Driscoll, Reddan, Sexton and Strauss, the ball is thrown to Fitzgerald just to the left of the posts, but the winger fumbles it within touching distance of the line. Fitzgerald has spoke about a personal loss of confidence lately and that certainly won’t have done him any favours.
It’s a super kick by Sexton that rebounds off both posts and goes over. It’s not often you see that in rugby, but Sexton will care little. Wry smile from the out-half afterwards, he knows he got lucky. 6-3 Leinster.
Penalty Leinster and a chance for Sexton to restore the lead, albeit a pretty difficult one just inside the touchline on the right hand side.
Gordon D’Arcy taken out of it by Tuilagi just after the Leinster centre had gotten rid of the ball in midfield. The tackle was slightly high but not too dangerous, just a really physical hit. D’Arcy picks himself up, wipes away the butterflies and is good to go on.
Danger averted with yet more good defence from Leinster. McLaughlin makes a good tackle and Leicester players come flying into the ruck from the side. Leinster now on the attack well in Leicester’s half.
Leicester with plenty of possession, but not really going anywhere with it until Nacewa knocks it on rather unnecessarily in the left corner. Scrum for Leicester and a good attacking platform for the English side.
Straight away down the other end, Leinster concede a penalty. Horgan knocks the ball forward from the kick off, O’Driscoll claims and kicks ahead, but he was offside. Flood kicks it well and it’s all square.
And it is. 3-0 Leinster, excellent start for the home side.
Penalty Leinster. Lovely move by the hosts, Nacewa carries down the left and kicks ahead, Fitzgerald carries and comes up short of the line, Leinster recycle and Leicester infringe in front of the posts. Should be an easy three points for Jonathan Sexton.
Leicester kick off and play from right to left in the first half. Good show of intent from the visitors, they’ve won their own kick off, but Leinster recover to win the put in to the scrum just short of halfway.
We’re underway at the Aviva.
Teams on their way out of the tunnel at the Aviva, only minutes to go until kick-off.
If you didn’t already know, Perpignan were the victors over Toulon in today’s other quarter-final, and will meet Ulster or Northampton in the semis.
Leinster coach Richard Cockerill leading a quite manic Leicester team talk on the pitch at the Aviva; these boys are up for it, no question.
Leinster 2/5 favourites coming into the game, but when you look at the Leicester team sheet, they can’t be discounted. Youngs and Flood are well known, but the likes of Croft, Deacon, Chuter and Tuilagi are hardy and experienced and won’t be easily pushed around. The man mountain that is Castrogiovanni also waiting with baited breath on the bench.
I still think Leinster will win, but they mightn’t have it all their own way.
Nothing wrong with the Sky coverage of Heineken Cup – it’s actually quite good, but you would miss the banter of the RTE studio and the craic out of messrs McGurk, Hook, Pope and O’Shea for big occasions like this.
A reminder of the teams for you:
Leinster: Isa Nacewa; Shane Horgan, Brian O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy, Luke Fitzgerald; Jonathan Sexton, Eoin Reddan; Cian Healy, Richardt Strauss, Mike Ross; Leo Cullen, Nathan Hines; Kevin McLaughlin, Sean O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: Jason Harris-Wright, Heinke van der Merwe, Stan Wright, Devin Toner, Dominic Ryan, Isaac Boss, Ian Madigan, Fergus McFadden.
Leicester: S Hamilton; H Agulla, M Tuilagi, A Allen, A Tuilagi; T Flood, B Youngs; B Stankovich, G Chuter, D Cole; L Deacon, S Mafi; T Croft, C Newby (capt), J Crane.
Replacements: R Hawkins, J White, M Castrogiovanni, E Slater, T Waldrom, J Grindal, J Staunton, M Smith.
Hello and welcome to JOE’s live coverage of Leinster’s Heineken Cup quarter-final with Leicester Tigers at the Aviva Stadium. A repeat of the 2009 Heineken Cup Final, it is probably the most mouthwatering of all four quarter-finals, even though the all-French affair between Biarritz and Toulouse tomorrow, the winners of which will play the winners of this evening’s game, comes pretty close.
Leinster come into the game on the back of a narrow defeat to Munster in a titanic encounter in Thomond last weekend, while the Tigers currently top the pile in the Aviva Premiership after a tight victory over Harlequins at the Stoop last Saturday. A great battle is in store at the old Lansdowne Road. Just under half an hour to go to kick off. I’ll be back with the team news shortly.
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