Jamison Gibson-Park scored a late try as Leinster came out on top in a physical semi-final
ByMatt GaultBBC Sport NI senior journalist- Published52 minutes ago
URC play-off semi-final
Leinster (13) 20
Tries: Ioane, Gibson-Park Cons: Prendergast, Byrne Pens: Prendergast 2
Stormers (8) 11
Tries: Smith Cons: Pens: Matthee 2
Leinster will face the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship final for the second straight year after the Irish province overcame the Stormers in a bruising semi-final at Aviva Stadium.
Desperate to end the season with silverware after suffering Champions Cup final heartache at the hands of Bordeaux-Begles last month, Leinster toppled a ferocious Stormers side to take a significant step towards retaining the URC title.
The fast-starting home side raced into a 13-0 lead through Rieko Ioane's try and two Sam Prendergast penalties.
But the Stormers shook off a sluggish start and reduced the deficit to five points with an Adre Smith try and Jurie Matthee penalty before the sides clashed in the tunnel at half-time.
While a second Matthee penalty brought the South African side to within two points, their ill-discipline ultimately proved costly, with Leolin Zas yellow-carded early in the second half before Ruan Ackermann's yellow for a dangerous clean-out on Ronan Kelleher was upgraded to a 20-minute red.
Salmaan Moerat was also sent to the sin-bin for kicking the ball out of Jamison Gibson-Park's hands in the build-up to the Leinster scrum-half's try which sealed the holders' place in the Croke Park final on 19 June.
The Bulls booked their spot in the decider earlier on Saturday with a 22-21 comeback win over Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield.
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Despite bouncing back from Champions Cup final heartache with a resounding 59-10 quarter-final win over the Lions last week, Leinster endured a turbulent build-up to Saturday's game.
With speculation over wing James Lowe's future already mounting, senior coach Jacques Nienaber cast doubt on his own future during a tetchy news conference before head coach Leo Cullen insisted the South African remains "fully committed" to the club.
But just as they did against the Lions, the Irish province issued an early statement of intent when Jamie Osborne put Ioane through for the opening try.
The hosts stretched the lead to 13-0 with two penalties from Prendergast, who has reclaimed the starting fly-half spot from Harry Byrne.
The scoreline was a fair reflection of an impressive Leinster start, with Andrew Porter's injury-enforced withdrawal their only concern.
But the Stormers - who beat Leinster 35-0 in the opening round of the season - quietly clawed their way back into the game, and while an Evan Roos knock-on killed a promising attack, Smith made no mistake when he crashed over from close range on the half-hour mark.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,Leinster will welcome the Bulls to Croke Park in a rematch of last year's final
With momentum shifting, Leinster prop Thomas Clarkson was penalised at the scrum, allowing Matthee to kick the visitors back to within five points.
Hoping to bookend the half with tries, Leinster heaped pressure on the Stormers after a superb break from Lowe, only for Prendergast to cough up possession, leaving the game finely poised as the players tussled on their way down the tunnel.
Leinster's frustrations only grew in the second half. The home side failed to score with Zas in the bin, with a second Matthee penalty bringing the Stormers to within two points and stirring further unease in the Leinster ranks.
But Ackermann's indiscretion - for which Stormers boss John Dobson apologised after the match - was a key moment, and with the replacement back row off the field, Leinster chipped away before the elusive Gibson-Park darted through a tiring Stormers defence to score.
With Moerat's yellow card reducing the South Africans to 13 men, Leinster comfortably navigated the last 10 minutes to set up another meeting with the Bulls.
'I apologise to Leinster' - what they said
Stormers head coach John Dobson told Premier Sports: "Very disappointed [with the red card].
"It's not good for rugby that card we gave away. That's a shoulder to the head at a critical time when we were 13-11. It was devastating for us.
"I apologise to Leinster because it's not what we want to see in rugby."
Leinster captain Caelan Doris told Premier Sports: "A proper knockout game that.
"There were a few chances at the end of the first half that we left out there and they potentially change the outcome of the game if we convert them. Credit to Stormers.
"Delighted with the end result and to be in another final is a massive privilege for the group."
Line-ups
Leinster: H Keenan; J O'Brien, R Ioane, J Osborne, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, R Kelleher, T Clarkson, J McCarthy, J Ryan, M Deegan, J van der Flier, C Doris (capt).
Replacements: G McCarthy, A Usanov, R Slimani, D Mangan, J Conan, L McGrath, H Byrne, G Ringrose.
Stormers: D Willemse; W Simelane, R Nel (capt), D du Plessis, L Zas; J Matthee, I Khan; N Mchunu, A Venter, N Fouche, A Smith, C Evans, P de Villiers, B Dixon, E Roos.
Replacements: J Kotze, V Matongo, Z Porthen, S Moerat, R Ackermann, M Theunissen, S Ungerer, W Gelant.
Sin-bin: Zas (47), Moerat (71)
Red card: Ackermann (69)