Fifth final for Toulouse

Toulouse will play in their fifth Heineken Cup final after overcoming a gutsy London Irish challenge 21-15 at Twickenham.

The Exiles wingers Topsy Ojo and Sailosi Tagicakibau gave the Frenchmen a real fright, scoring a try apiece and posing a constant threat, but ultimately the aristocrats of European rugby had just a touch too much class.

The three-time champions scored tries through Manu Ahota'e'iloa and William Servat, but it was a couple of second-half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde penalties which took them through to next month's final in Cardiff.

Ojo almost grabbed a try for the Exiles in the first minute, racing on to Shane Geraghty's grubber kick only for his opposite number Yves Donguy to beat him in a race for the ball.

Ojo repaid the compliment seven minutes later, denying Donguy a try from Elissalde's prod through.

London Irish were caught offside moments later and Elissalde put Toulouse ahead, only for Peter Hewat to level on 13 minutes when the French were pinged for killing the ball.

Ambitious

The underdogs were refusing to be intimidated and were rewarded for playing the more ambitious rugby in the opening exchanges with the first try after 19 minutes.

The ball was kept alive well in midfield, but really the score was down to Ojo's individual brilliance - and Cedric Heymans' sloppiness.

Receiving the ball from a standing start on the left touchline, the winger raced away from Elissalde and cut inside. Heymans should have made the tackle, but he slipped off his man and Ojo raced in under the sticks.

Elissalde missed a long-range penalty, Fabien Pelous bombed a chance with a wild pass to Donguy and Hewat's kicking was keeping Toulouse on the back foot.

With half-time approaching Irish were in control, only for two quickfire tries to turn the game on its head.

A concerted spell of pressure resulted in an overlap on the right and Maxime Medard's neat and unselfish pass put Ahota'e'iloa racing in at the corner, then it was the forwards' chance.

Toulouse won a lineout five metres out after more desperate Irish defending, Yannick Nyanga collected and after a disciplined surge, Servat was propelled over the line to score.

That gave Toulouse a 15-10 lead at the break but Irish levelled just five minutes after the re-start.

This time Heymans and Medard contrived to miss Tagicakibau on the left wing and he sprinted in unoppsed.

Initiative

But Hewat missed the kick to go ahead and Irish quickly surrendered the initiative with two penalties in three minutes, both knocked over by Elissalde.

Both sides had chances but there was no further scoring in the final half hour. Pelous butchered another chance after a burst up the centre, failing to make the killer pass, and Ojio was desperately close to a second try only for Byron Kelleher to come up with a crunching tackle in the corner.

The last Irish chance came when Geraghty made a break to 10 metres from the French line, only for a wall of red shirts to halt the attack in its tracks.

It summed up the Exiles' brave but ultimately failed attempt to reach a first Heineken Cup final.