Champions Cup result: Nienaber’s Leinster hold out to book final spot

Jacques Nienaber will experience the Champions Cup final for the second time with Leinster after helping the Irish giants beat Toulon in Dublin on Saturday.

A two-time World Cup winner with South Africa, Nienaber joined the club as senior coach in November 2023, and now has an opportunity to add to his Vodacom URC winner’s medal after a nail-biting 29-25 win at the Aviva Stadium.

Leinster overcame an astonishing fightback by Toulon to reach the decider of Europe’s premier club competition. Leo Cullen’s men, four-time Champions Cup winners, were cruising to victory at 29-11 with just 13 minutes left.

Toulon, however, reduced that deficit to a mere four points with four minutes remaining after a try by Gael Drean was converted by Melvyn Jaminet.

The hosts, though, clung on in the closing stages and this win ended a four-match losing streak against Toulon, the only team they had previously played more than once and never beaten since turning professional in 1995.

Leinster have only missed the semi-finals once since the last of their Champions Cup titles in 2018 – a quarter-final loss to Saracens in 2020 – but have suffered four final defeats and two semi-final reverses in that time, including last year’s 37-34 last-four loss to Northampton Saints.

But they will now play the winners of Sunday’s second semi-final between reigning European champions Bordeaux Bègles and Bath in a Bilbao final on 23 May.

LEINSTER – Tries: Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Garry Ringrose, Caelan Doris. Conversions: Harry Byrne (3). Penalties: Harry Byrne.
TOULON –Tries: Seta Tuicuvu, Baptiste Serin, Gaël Drean. Conversions: Melvyn Jaminet (2). Penalties: Melvyn Jaminet (2).

This story was first published on sarugbymag.co.za. It is republished here with permission.