Leinster Beats Sale 43-13 to Reach Champions Cup Semis

Leinster secured a place in the Investec Champions Cup semifinals with a 43-13 victory over Sale Sharks in their quarterfinal match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday. The Irish province, captained by Dan Sheehan in the absence of the injured Caelan Doris, overcame a scrappy first half to dominate the second period, scoring five tries after the break.

The game began under stubborn drizzle that made handling difficult, contributing to a low-scoring opening 40 minutes. Leinster took an early lead in the 10th minute when Sheehan, the Ireland hooker, touched down after a series of carries from a lineout, with Harry Byrne converting for a 7-0 advantage. Sale responded with a penalty from flyhalf George Ford five minutes before halftime, narrowing the gap to 7-3. The visitors, missing several key players due to injuries, showed resilience in defense and held a slight edge in the scrum, where Leinster's inexperienced loosehead Alex Usanov struggled in his second start for the team.

Momentum shifted decisively after the interval. Sale's Dan du Preez received a yellow card just before halftime for a deliberate knock-on, reducing them to 14 players. Three minutes into the second...