07 April 2023 , 22:24
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Stuart Lancaster’s Leinster remain on course to give their coach a trophy-winning send-off after hammering Leicester in the Champions Cup.
Seven tries from the four-time winners lit up the Aviva Stadium and booked a home semi-final against either Toulouse or the Sharks of Durban.
Former England boss Lancaster leaves the Dublin outfit this summer to take charge of Racing 92. On this evidence you would not bet against him adding to the Champions Cup he won in 2018.
"They are an outstanding team, quality internationals, quality coaching," conceded Tigers boss Richard Wigglesworth. "That's not in question, but the gulf is in what you have available to spend."
Leinster were without Johnny Sexton and Josh van der Flier against the English champions yet were imperious, once they doused Leicester’s second quarter fire.
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First among equals was centre Garry Ringrose, one of the few Leinster players to miss out on Ireland’s Grand Slam win over England, due to injury.
Two-try man of the match Garry Ringrose (PA)He quickly made up for lost time, putting his side ahead on 72 seconds, ruthlessly exploiting a step out of line by George Martin.
A quarter of an hour later he was at it again, this time from first phase. Harry Potter bought Robbie Henshaw’s decoy run, Jimmy O’Brien swept off his wing into the midfield hole and Ringrose did the rest.
That Leicester did not buckle at this point was down to smart work at the breakdown, where Tommy Reffell was excellent.
Leicester Tigers players react at full time (PA)Tigers claimed all four of the game’s first-half turnovers and when Anthony Watson produced a stunning finish on the stroke of half-time the Premiership champions were back to within a score.
Had they then capitalised on Caelan Doris’ yellow card soon after the restart things might have been different.
Instead, they gave up ball and field position cheaply at the crucial moment and just like that their chance was gone.
Jamison Gibson-Park with key score to subdue Leicester and put Leinster 27-10 ahead (Getty Images)Three times in the space of nine minutes Leinster crossed for tries to end Tigers’ fight long before the scoring had finished.
"We fought hard," Leicester fly-half Handre Pollard said. "But if you give them a sniff they're just going to kill you.
"Credit to them, they were very good in the second half. We couldn't get on the front foot defensively."
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LEINSTER - Tries: Ringrose 2, Gibson-Park, Penalty, Penny, O’Brien, McKee. Cons: Byrne 6. Pens: Byrne 2.
LEICESTER - Tries: Watson, Cracknell, Potter. Cons: Pollard 2, Gopperth. Pen: Pollard.