Leinster unchanged for Toulouse task
Leinster boss Leo Cullen has named an unchanged side to take on Toulouse in tomorrow's Heineken Champions Cup semi-final at the Aviva Stadium (3pm).
Ross Byrne Sport News
Champions Cup: Peter O’Mahony, Joey Carbery and Simon Zebo back for Munster’s clash with Exeter Chiefs
The European Champions Cup returns this weekend with the second leg of the last-16 ties, including Ulsster’s clash with defending champions Toulouse at the Kingspan Stadium.
STAT ATTACK | SA players headline the URC charts
After a slow start to the United Rugby Championship (URC), the South African teams have found their feet with three local teams in line for a playoffs spot.
URC: Leinster too strong for Munster once again after South Africans complete another clean sweep
Despite the Limerick outfit claiming a victory the last time these two teams met in the Rainbow Cup, the Dubliners have generally held the upper hand over the last few years.
Leinster's Dave Kearney ruled out for months with hamstring injury
Leinster winger Dave Kearney has been ruled out for "a number of months" with a hamstring injury.
URC team news: Frawley back for Leinster as Carty returns for Connacht
Jack Carty and Dave Heffernan come straight into Connacht's team following their return from Six Nations camp, ahead of tomorrow's United Rugby Championship Interpro against Leinster at the Sportsground (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player).
Ulster do the double over Leinster with nail-biting win
Ulster made it a rare double over Leinster after beating the reigning URC champions 18-13 on a rain-swept night in Belfast which brought the top two teams in the league together for this rearranged fixture.
Leinster rack up nine tries in Benetton demolition
Leinster reclaimed top spot in the United Rugby Championship with a 61-17 thrashing of Benetton in Treviso. Ulster's big win against Cardiff on Friday night saw them edge ahead of Leo Cullen's men in the overall table but the latter ran in nine tries to claw their way back to the summit with a four-point margin. Max Deegan, Sean Cronin, Jordan Larmour and Ross Byrne earned Leinster a bonus point by half-time, with a single penalty from Rhyno Smith the only response Benetton could muster before the interval. The hosts did touch down twice in the second half but Cronin's second and two tries each for James Tracy and Jimmy O'Brien saw Leinster to a comfortable victory, with Byrne also kicking 14 points. Deegan powered over from close range for Leinster's first try after a totally dominant opening five minutes. Byrne added the extras before Smith got Benetton off the mark with a relatively straightforward penalty seven minutes later. The visitors eventually added their second try when Cronin went over from a driving maul. Byrne's conversion made it 14-3 after 24 minutes and he was on target again when a third try quickly followed - Larmour exploiting a gap in the Benetton defence to go over. Leinster had their bonus point by half-time thanks to a fantastic team try initiated by a rapid counter-attack from Jimmy O'Brien, Tommy O'Brien and Larmour, with Byrne eventually applying the finish and converting for a 28-3 scoreline at the break.