European Champions Cup: Four-time champions Leinster too strong for Leicester in quarter-finals
Leinster beat Leicester at Welford Road with dominant first half taking visitors into the semi-finals; Leinster will face Toulouse in the last four; La Rochelle see off fellow French outfit Montpellier and will meet either Racing 92 or Sale Sharks in semi-finals
Last Updated: 07/05/22 9:53pm
Leinster and La Rochelle joined reigning champions Toulouse in the European Champions Cup semi-finals with victories over Leicester Tigers and Montpellier respectively.
Leinster - champions of Europe in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2018 - beat Leicester 23-14 at Welford Road with the hosts' valiant second-half fightback coming too late.
Leinster led 20-0 at half-time thanks to tries from Josh Van Der Flier and Robbie Henshaw and three Johnny Sexton penalties.
The Tigers were a different beast after the break and cut their arrears in the 46th minute when Chris Ashton touched down in the corner.
Leinster, however, managed to quell the response and a 65th-minute penalty from Sexton's replacement Ross Byrne put the visitors 16 points ahead.
Leicester scored a late try through Nic Dolly but Leinster ran out winners to secure a last-four clash with Toulouse, who beat Munster via a penalty shootout in a Dublin epic earlier in the day.
Toulouse defeated La Rochelle in last year's final and the two sides could meet again in this year's trophy game with the latter beating fellow French outfit Montpellier 31-19.
La Rochelle will face the winners of Sunday's last quarter-final between Racing 92 and Sale Sharks in the last four later this month.
