Andrew Porter (left) and Ross Bryan were Leinster's key players who secured their place in the semi-finals by defeating Leicester Tigers. Getty Images/Harry Murphy
Leinster are on their way to yet another European Cup final with a crushing victory over Leicester, but they'll find the tournament's second-best team along the way.
Toulouse, clearing away from the Sharks over the last 20 minutes, looks like the team most prepared to stop the Irish province from getting a fifth title, with the semi-final to be held in Dublin making for a great finale. Leinster fans won't have to travel far if their team actually makes it to the final, as the Aviva Stadium has been announced as the venue.
Of course, it is wrong for any team to have four home games. , including in the final, when participating in the main club competition in Europe.
In particular, no club should have a home draw in the final. Yes, Leinster are in an anomalous position given that they often play at the national stadium, but the organizing committee can pre-book a couple of alternative seats before announcing the final or, as in the case of this and in other years, the stadium for the country from which not a single quarter-finalist, in this case Scotland or Wales, qualified.
Leinster are favorites for the title. Like the national team, they are densely populated, have no obvious weaknesses, and do not need a significant advantage in consecutive home matches. This is not a rant against Leinster; neither side should have this kind of draw. Other teams that led their groups did not receive similar benefits.
The man in the bin… 1️⃣0️⃣ points in the @LeinsterRugby bag is relentless 🤯#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter .com/EhLR55M7qb
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup), April 7, 2023
England will have one semi-finalist, in somewhat following Exeter's best performance of the season. As their director of rugby Rob Baxter admitted, their rivals the Stormers had less than perfect preparation for the quarter-finals, with some of their trips from Cape Town being disrupted and the players not arriving until Wednesday.
This will always be a problem with the introduction of South African sides. It's not just a case of a couple of hours on a plane for either side drawn against a South African team, and if this doesn't become a permanent feature of the Champions Cup play-offs, it's going to have to be addressed.
The real problem — and how many times we have said this about almost every problem in rugby — is match congestion, which makes it difficult to allocate more time between games, so that travel and accommodation plans can be better put together. However, the way in which Exeter won on six attempts was first class.
The juxtaposition between their ball-handling and the Stormers' determination to score just about every ball they owned in the first half couldn't be sharper.
At one point, Stormers players could be seen looking back and wondering why they didn't get any grip in the first 40 minutes, and the reason was pretty simple: they effectively flipped the ball from a bad kick. Even the game plan for set pieces, especially scrimmages, didn't work out as they couldn't get the ball.
Unsurprisingly, when they decided to keep the ball in their hands in the second half, they created more problems for Exeter. Conversely, the Chiefs fell into the same trap in the first 20 minutes of the second period and conceded possession in an attempt to play in the Stormers' half.
What will delight Baxter the most is how his team has gradually rebuilt under the pressure of missing two attempts. The return to play with possession forced the Stormers to attack more, and by the final 15 minutes they were on their feet. As in the best years, Exeter's accuracy with scoring chances was exemplary.
Now the Chiefs have to travel to France to play the La Rochelle Cup winner who looked menacingly powerful against the Saracens. . The North London side always needed to practice on the green to win away and they certainly didn't get that when it came to penalty kicks. Decisions like no frontal tackle on Owen Farrell weren't the difference between the sides, but they didn't help.
La Rochelle has such power in everything that Exeter will have to handle the physical test if they have any chance in the semi-finals. Exeter and England center Henry Slade did a lot to motivate the Chiefs, but they didn't need anything against La Rochelle. However, when it comes to breaking down, they need to be a lot nicer than the Saracens were.
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