Champions Cup final beckons as Leinster too good for Toulouse

Leinster are back in the Heineken Champions Cup final after a comprehensive 41-22 victory over Toulouse at the Aviva.

Beaten finalists last season, Leo Cullen's men will face the winner of defending champions La Rochelle and Exeter, who meet on Sunday afternoon, in the final back at the Aviva Stadium on 20 May.

The semi-final match-up was a repeat of the sides' meeting 12 months ago and while the scoreline was similar, Toulouse remained close until the final quarter when their indiscipline eventually caught up with them.

They had two players yellow-carded, one in each half, and in the 20 minutes that they had 14 on the field, Leinster hit them for 28 points.

Jack Conan (2), Dan Sheehan and Josh van der Flier scored the tries and Ross Byrne kicked 16 points as they lay down another marker.

Leinster will now aim for that elusive fifth star, which would draw them level with Toulouse.

The hosts lined out without Ireland internationals Johnny Sexton, Robbie Henshaw and James Lowe, but were able to welcome back Josh van der Flier and Ryan Baird, who started on the bench.

Toulouse, meanwhile, arrived with the same starting XV that defeated Sharks in the quarter-finals.

The French outfit got the first and last tries of the half but in between it was the home side who dominated proceedings.

Leinster were able to build up a 13-point half-time advantage on the back of good discipline, smart kicking and clever running lines, the strings being pulled by the superb Jamison Gibson-Park. The scrum-half was named player of the match.

Toulouse didn't help themselves and conceded six penalties and had Thomas Ramos sin-binned in the 16th minute.

After the lively Charlie Ngatai led a breakout from deep, the Toulouse defence infringed and Byrne kicked