Van der Flier, Kelleher, and Henshaw among the Leinster standouts
Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster’s side were superb in Sandy Park yesterday. By Murray Kinsella Sunday 11 Apr 2021, 6:00 AM 3 hours ago 3,709 Views 8 Comments
Jack Conan celebrates Leinster s win.
Image: Ryan Hiscott/INPHO
Image: Ryan Hiscott/INPHO
ROBBIE HENSHAW WAS named man of the match but it could have gone to several other Leinster players.
Only nine minutes into yesterday’s Champions Cup quarter-final in Sandy Park, the smart money was on an Exeter player walking away with the award for the best individual performance. 14-0 up, the defending champions had a massive early advantage.
Byrne replaced Leinster and Ireland captain Johnny Sexton, who kicked an early conversion but went off in the 28th-minute before failing a head injury assessment.
Exeter led by 14 points inside the first 10 minutes following two tries by wing Tom O’Flaherty, both converted by Joe Simmonds, but their only further scores were a Dave Ewers try and Simmonds penalty as Leinster’s imperious European pedigree was once again shown off to maximum effect.
Exeter showed two switches from the side that beat round of 16 opponents Lyon last weekend, with props Ben Moon and Tomas Francis both handed starts, while full-back Stuart Hogg made his 50th European Cup appearance.