Leinster Book Home Semi-final With Big Win Over Sale

Leinster shook disconnected a lacklustre first half to comfortably hit Sale Sharks and book a location Champions Cup semi-final against Toulon.

The four-time European champions struggled to a 7-3 lead astatine nan break, acknowledgment to Dan Sheehan's converted ninth-minute try, but turned connected nan style successful a one-sided 2nd half.

Tries from Hugo Keenan, Ryan Baird, Rieko Ioane, Tommy O'Brien and Jamie Osborne saw Leinster put region betwixt them and Sale, who scored their only effort done Alex Wills pinch 10 minutes remaining.

Leinster will big Toulon, who edged retired Glasgow Warriors, astatine Aviva Stadium connected nan play of 2 and 3 May.

Sale coach Alex Sanderson had promised his broadside were not successful Dublin "to dress up nan numbers" and - contempt a mediocre play pinch conscionable 3 wins successful 12 games successful nan Prem - they posed Leinster problems earlier nan break.

The visitors were without injured England forwards Bevan Rodd and Luke Cowan-Dickie, while Nathan Jibulu is serving a six-week prohibition for biting.

Leinster were disrupted erstwhile prop Alex Usanov limped disconnected aft only 4 minutes, but recovered capable to spell up erstwhile hooker Sheehan went complete nether nan posts.

But Sharks held patient for nan remainder of nan half, winning 3 punishment scrums and getting connected nan scoreboard done a George Ford punishment arsenic nan hosts grounded to enforce themselves successful greasy conditions.

But yellowish cards shown to Dan du Preez and Si McIntyre either broadside of half-time handed Leinster an advantage that they seized, Keenan gliding successful 3 minutes aft nan restart.

Ford's footwear kept Sale successful it astatine 12-6, but Baird and Ioane crossed adjacent to nan area emblem wrong 3 minutes of each other, Ioane's effort having started from Byrne's superb declare of a precocious ball.

The Leinster fly-half past laid connected nan 5th try, sending done a spot footwear complete nan apical up that O'Brien landed connected conscionable complete nan tryline.

Sale showed immoderate ambition pinch crippled each but gone, Wills moving to nan area aft a loose shot bounced up kindly and was moved wide to nan substitute.

But Leinster had nan past word, man of nan lucifer Sheehan rampaging heavy into nan Sale half earlier feeding Osborne for nan hosts' sixth effort pinch nan past action of nan match.