Lowe at the double as Leinster knock champions Toulouse out of European Champions Cup

Ireland wing James Lowe scored two tries as Leinster knocked reigning title-holders Toulouse out of this season's European Champions Cup with a commanding 40-17 semi-final win in Dublin on Saturday.

Leinster, the last non-French club left in this edition, will now have a chance to equal Toulouse's all-time record of five major European titles when they face the winners of Sunday's match between Racing 92 and La Rochelle in a Marseille final on 28 May.

The Dublin-based side had a healthy 23-10 lead at half-time following tries by Lowe and Josh van der Flier, with Ireland great Jonathan Sexton landing all five of his goal-kicks in the opening 40 minutes.

LEINSTER ARE THE FIRST FINALISTS ??Downing the defending champs, and now @leinsterrugby have a shot at equalling the record five stars ??#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/mHatf4uKSp

France captain Antoine Dupont had helped the visitors go 7-3 up by running nearly the length of the field for a breakaway try, with Thomas Ramos adding a penalty.

But Lowe's second score gave Leinster a decisive 20-point lead early in the second half, with Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan rounding off victory with the hosts' fourth try late on.

For Toulouse this encounter came just a week after their dramatic and draining Dublin win over Munster, Leinster's arch-rivals, with the French giants only prevailing after extra-time and a place-kicking shoot-out after a 24-24 draw.

Leinster, who beat English leaders Leicester 23-14 in the quarter-finals, went ahead through fly-half Sexton's penalty.

But they were caught cold in the sixth minute when Dupont blocked opposing scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park's grubber-kick, regathered and ran some 95 metres for a try converted by Ramos.

Sexton's second penalty