Heineken Champions Cup Leo Cullen, Leinster boss says there is still room for growth despite beating Toulouse

Johnny Sexton
Johnny Sexton, Leinster's fly-half, put on an inspiring display. He scored three tries and kicked 15 points.

Leo Cullen, Leinster's head coach, says that there is still room for improvement in his team despite the fact that they are struggling. emphatic Champions Cup semi-final win over holders Toulouse.

James Lowe had two tries, and Johnny Sexton kicked fifteen points. The Irish province won 40-17 to reach the first decider since 2019.

Leinster will take on Racing 92 and La Rochelle during the 28 May showpiece.

Cullen stated, “For our guys it was a great performance overall.”

“There is still much to be done, but it is pleasing to have a strong performance in the semi-final.”

Toulouse's record five European title haul is just one win away. Leinster are now only one win away and will be facing familiar opposition in Marseille's final, regardless who wins Sunday's 2nd semi-final.

Racing 92 was the team Leinster defeated in the final to win their 2018 title, while La Rochelle beat them in the last-four stage last year.

“Hugely exciting challenge”

Cullen's former Ireland teammate Ronan O'Gara coaches La Rochelle, while Mike Prendergast is part of Racing's Coaching Set-up. But, Leinster boss John McDonnell says it will be a “hugely challenging challenge” to face either French or Irish teams.

Cullen added, “I was listening Mike Prendergast yesterday. Just talking about Racing's desire to win a European Star.”

“From their owners all through the club, it is a huge goal of theirs.

“We lost the semi-final against La Rochelle last season. We didn't deliver the best performance. This stage of the tournament requires you to deliver your best against some of the most elite teams in Europe.

“It's an exciting challenge away against a French team.”

Leinster put on a dominant performance in front a crowd of 40,000 at the Aviva Stadium. Toulouse's head coach Ugomola admitted that his team was second best, but they did not win back-toback titles.

Mola stated, “Today there were too many things that separated me from Leinster.” We failed to stem the tides of the blue waves. We found a team that was better than us.

“You need to be able to take the lessons from it. Leinster has been at the top level for over 20 years, and they have never lost in the finals.

We know that you must be your best to beat this type of team. Today, that was not the case in terms of speed, freshness, and change of pace. Congratulations to the Leinster team for achieving an XXL performance.

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