Leinster overcame a sluggish start to deliver a commanding 43-13 victory over Sale Sharks, securing a home semi-final in the Investec Champions Cup. The Irish province will now host Toulon at Dublin's Aviva Stadium during the first weekend of May.
Despite entering halftime with a narrow 7-3 lead, Leinster exploded after the break with five second-half tries to decisively end Sale's European campaign. Dan Sheehan opened the scoring with an early converted try, but the visitors remained competitive until the interval, with George Ford's penalty keeping them within reach.
The momentum shifted dramatically following yellow cards to Sale's Dan du Preez and Si McIntyre around halftime. Leinster capitalized immediately, with Hugo Keenan scoring just three minutes into the second period. Ryan Baird and Rieko Ioane then crossed in quick succession, extending the lead before Tommy O'Brien and Jamie Osborne added late tries to complete the rout.
Sale's lone response came from substitute Alex Wills with ten minutes remaining, but it proved merely a consolation. Leinster fly-half Ross Byrne contributed 13 points with his boot, while Sheehan's influential performance—scoring the first try and setting up the last—earned him man-of-the-match honors.
Leinster coach Leo Cullen praised his team's resilience: "We knew Sale would come with physicality, but our ability to adapt and accelerate in the second half shows the character in this group. A home semi-final is exactly where we want to be."
The victory sets up a tantalizing clash with French giants Toulon, who narrowly defeated Glasgow Warriors to advance. Leinster will seek to continue their pursuit of a fifth European title, having fallen short in four finals since their last triumph in 2018.