Seamless Leinster display secures third semi spot for PRO14

Having watched Munster reach the last four against the odds 24 hours earlier, Leinster would have been even more energised to join their neighbours and rivals in the Champions Cup last four.

Back-to-back Champions Cup winners Saracens may have been off the pace a bit this season, but they were never going to give up their European crown easily. The nature of the beast that has made them such a champion side and so difficult to beat in recent seasons was always going to make this a very challenging game for Leinster.

With 15 Grand Slam winners in their matchday squad, any concerns they might be suffering some kind of Six Nations hangover were dispelled as early as the fourth minute, when one of those heroes, Garry Ringrose, finished a sublime Leinster breakout from Isa Nacewa and James Lowe to propel Leo Cullen’s side into a seven-point lead.

Despite that excellent start from Leinster, Saracens were never going to panic and, once their big ball carriers started to generate momentum and win the collisions, it was inevitable that the penalties would flow.

With Owen Farrell passed fit and comfortable from a place-kicking perspective, Saracens were always going to be difficult to shake off. A one-point lead for Leinster at the break was proof positive of that.

Rob Kearney has been a man reborn of late and some of his counter-attacking runs had the famed Saracens defence in a state of panic. On too many occasions, though, the final pass refused to stick.

Not having played as a unit in blue for over two months, it was no surprise that Leinster would become more cohesive as the game progressed and that become more apparent as the second half progressed.

Their work rate was ratcheted up another level and some voracious clean outs at the breakdown had Saracens on the back foot, not a position they find themselves in too often. Leinster sensed that vulnerability and both James Ryan and Dan Leavy began to make big inroads with effective carries and great line breaks. A highly impressive 17-point haul in the pivotal third quarter propelled the former three-time champions into a commanding position.

With that dominance impressively translated onto the scoreboard in the key period before the benches tend to get emptied and without a single riposte from Saracens, the tide had turned decisively in Leinster’s favour.

Ultimately, that was the period when this fascinating contest was won and lost.

Inevitably, the proud champions would respond and managed to reduce Leinster’s lead to 11 points, but that was as close as it got. Despite all the huff and puff surrounding the French Top 14 and the Aviva Premiership, three sides from the Guinness Pro 14 have made it through to the semi-final stage with the certainty that at least one will contest the decider in Bilbao’s San Mames Stadium on May 12.

With a home semi-final against the reigning Guinness PRO12 champions Scarlets back at the Aviva Stadium in three weeks time, Leinster are not only favourites to advance to another final but look in pole position in their quest to match Toulouse and add a fourth star to that famed blue shirt.