Leinster crush Leicester to advance to Champions Cup semi-finals
Updated | By AFP
Garry Ringrose starred as four-time winners Leinster crushed Premiership champions Leicester 55-24 to reach the Champions Cup semi-finals on Friday.
Ireland centre Ringrose scored two of his side's seven tries in the first half, the first after just one minute at Lansdowne Road, and Leo Cullen's men led 17-10 at half time.
Anthony Watson replied for Leicester, but Jamison Gibson-Park, a penalty try, Scott Penny, Jimmy O'Brien and John McKee's tries ensured a dominant win.
Leinster, runners-up last year to La Rochelle, will meet the winner of Saturday's quarter-final between Toulouse and South African side Sharks.
A 10-point spurt, including Gibson-Park's try, saw the Irish hosts deal impressively with a Caelan Doris yellow card, before a penalty try and Scott Penny's first Champions Cup score came either side of Charlie Clare's sin-binning.
Mike Brown also saw yellow but Leicester were spent by that stage.
Four tries were shared out in the final quarter, including John McKee's 79th-minute maul effort.
A dozen phases after Hugo Keenan had gathered Ross Byrne's kick-off, Ringrose nipped inside Dan Kelly and burst in behind the posts.
Byrne's conversion with his first kick of an 18-point haul was cancelled out by a Handre Pollard penalty. The visitors also forced an early scrum penalty.
Nonetheless a crisp Leinster move from the scrum put Jimmy O'Brien in position to blast through the middle and he fed Ringrose for a simple finish and a 14-3 lead.
The Tigers tried to frustrate the home side and when Jasper Wiese was caught high by Doris, the Leinster flanker was sin-binned.
However, the seven-man pack calmed the home supporters' nerves with a scrum penalty, slotted over by Byrne, and Leinster had breathing space two minutes later.
Robbie Henshaw's nicely-delayed delivery put Ringrose through a gap and his inside pass released Gibson-Park to coast home with Byrne converting.
An unlikely turnover penalty, won by Byrne, led to Tigers pulling down a dominant Leinster maul for the penalty try and replacement hooker Clare's yellow.
Replacement Penny broke through a maul and handed off Van Poortvliet for his 61st-minute try, converted by Byrne, before Tigers rallied.
Cracknell charged over and fellow replacement Harry Potter ran in a 60-metre try from an interception.
Leinster replied to both scores, taking advantage of Brown's absence for a high tackle. Harry Byrne released O'Brien for the line and McKee touched down after a length move.
On Sunday, reigning champions La Rochelle host three-time winners Saracens as Australia lock Will Skelton welcomes his former side to the Atlantic coast.
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