I m not motivated by contracts - Sexton satisfied with duration of new deal but wary of Russell Lions threat
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Leinster and Munster face home blockbusters against French sides in last-16 of Champions Cup
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When wishes are being made to the Guinness PRO14 fairy they surely must include Leinster getting beaten – just to cause a ripple on the surface.
In this instance the tournament organisers, frequently battling to put some glamour on the competition, needed a near full strength Ulster to reflect their selection. Instead they got a final pairing – Leinster versus Munster – sorted with a couple of rounds to play before the final. At least it holds out the prospect of another fine game.
In the meantime what they got here was a Big Brother affair where every conversation was tapped and acted on, with cards flashing like traffic lights. When an exhausted Frank Murphy called time he had shown five cards.
It was, in inverted commas, a typical semi-final. Two good teams that didn t want to let go. All credit to Connacht, they stuck into that game. It was a real tussle, it certainly wasn t the prettiest game in the world and one or two big moments made a big difference. I m very glad about that.
Van Graan was delighted with his team s composure on a night when the lineout malfunctioned and Chris Cloete s yellow card might have turned the tide. We handled the pressure, he said. We didn t start the game well, we got pinged into our own 22, that charge-down, they had the scrum and scored straight away.