Porter Returns For Leinster’s Semi-Final Showdown With Toulon

It will be Porter’s first appearance since coming off injured at half-time during the round of 16 win over Edinburgh. He will pack down alongside Dan Sheehan and Thomas Clarkson, who takes over from the injured Tadhg Furlong at tighthead.

Furlong limped off during last week’s BKT United Rugby Championship defeat to Benetton Rugby, with head coach Leo Cullen’s selection showing six changes to the side that lost 29-26 in Treviso.

Caelan Doris leads the team from an unchanged back row, alongside Jack Conan and Josh van der Flier, and James Ryan and Joe McCarthy pair up together at lock as Leinster bid to reach their fourth Champions Cup final in five years.

Harry Byrne, their top scorer in Europe this season with 54 points, combines again with Jamison Gibson-Park at half-back, and Robbie Henshaw reunites with Garry Ringrose in the centre, following on from his try-scoring appearance against Ulster a fortnight ago.

Leinster’s back-three all crossed the whitewash during the recent knockout victories over Edinburgh and Sale Sharks. Full-back Hugo Keenan and New Zealander Rieko Ioane both touched down twice, while right winger Tommy O’Brien ran in three tries.

Jerry Cahir was an early entrant against Sale, coming on for the injured Alex Usanov, and he will continue in the number 17 jersey for this weekend. Rónan Kelleher and Rabah Slimani, who is set to join Toulon in the summer, complete the front row cover.

With RG Snyman and Ryan Baird sidelined through injury, Alex Soroka is poised to make his Champions Cup debut, and Scott Penny is the back row back-up. Double centurion Luke McGrath, Sam Prendergast, and Jamie Osborne are the replacement backs.

Leinster are aiming to book their place at the 2026 finals weekend in Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium, the venue for their 2018 title win over Racing 92. This is a first semi-final appearance since 2015 for Toulon, the 22-19 conquerors of Glasgow Warriors.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s semi-final clash, Tommy O’Brien said: “This one is massive. It is why you play the game, for these kind of days. To get to the stage where I am playing on those big days, it is something I do not take for granted.

“We talked about last year and the disappointment of the semi-final (against Northampton Saints). We would have loved another crack at that semi-final, and we had to wait a year to get here.

“We got through a lot of tough games to get us back to this position. We all would have done anything to get back here. Now that we are here, we’re excited to go out and give it a lash

“Semi-finals can bring a lot of pressure rugby. Nobody wants to make a mistake, first. Something we talk about is making sure not to go into our shells, so we can still play our game.

“These are high-intensity games where no one wants to make mistakes, but you can’t let that limit you. You can’t go into your shell.”

He added: “Toulon have got some serious star power, some serious names. They are obviously huge in this competition. Some French clubs maybe prefer the Top 14 whereas we know Toulon absolutely love this competition.

“They’ve given it their all and their fans travel unbelievably as well. So we’d hope that maybe this Saturday can be a serious atmosphere, a serious game, and exactly what Champions Cup and European rugby is like.”

LEINSTER (v Toulon): Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Rieko Ioane; Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).

Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Jerry Cahir, Rabah Slimani, Alex Soroka, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne.