Leinster 20-11 Stormers: 5 Things You Missed as Andrew Porter injured in URC Semi-Final

Join RUCK’s Instagram broadcast channel and get the latest rugby news straight to your phone.

Heroics from Player of the Match Jamison Gibson-Park put the close-fought match beyond all doubt, in what was a tense afternoon at the Aviva Stadium. Leinster will now host the URC final on Friday June 19th, as they welcome the Bulls to Croke Park. The Pretoria side booked their spot in the final after defeating Glasgow Warriors 22-21 earlier today in Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium.

Leinster started the match off hot, with Reiko Ioane nailing a strike move for the eighth minute opener. The All Blacks midfielder exploded onto a looping pass from Jamie Osborne, to split the defence in half. Sam Prendergast nailed his first crack at the posts for a seven point lead, before adding back-to-back penalties through the uprights for a 13-0 advantage after 23 minutes.

The Stormers responded through lock Adre Smith, who bundled his way across the whitewash with a close range drive just five minutes later. The Stormers then flexed their muscles at scrum-time, with Ntuthuko Mcunu powering over Thomas Clarkson for a penalty, that Jurie Matthee dutifully slotted. The sides departed with the score-line at 13-8, before tempers flared and a 30-man scuffle broke out down the Aviva Stadium tunnel.

The Stormers got the first points of the second half, with Matthee nailing a three-pointer to close the gap down to 13-11. Dislipline then proved to be a major problem for the Stormers, with Leolin Zas, Ruan Ackermann and Salmaan Moerat all sent to the sin bin. Ackermann's offense was upgraded to a red card, following his dangerous ruck clear-out to the head of Ronan Kelleher. Leinster took immediate control with the extra players, as Jamison Gibson-Park skipped free for the match winning try with just 10 minutes left on the clock.

LEINSTER: 20

TRIES: 2 (Ioane 6', Gibson-Park 70')

CONVERSIONS: 2 (Prendergast 6', Byrne 71')

PENALTIES: 2 (Prendergast 17', 23')

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS: 0

RED CARDS: 0

Starting XV: 15. Hugo Keenan, 14. Jimmy O’Brien, 13. Rieko Ioane, 12. Jamie Osborne, 11. James Lowe, 10. Sam Prendergast, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park; 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Rónan Kelleher, 3. Thomas Clarkson, 4. Joe McCarthy, 5. James Ryan, 6. Max Deegan, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris (c)

Replacements: 16. Gus McCarthy, 17. Alex Usanov, 18. Rabah Slimani, 19. Diarmuid Mangan, 20. Jack Conan, 21. Luke McGrath, 22. Harry Byrne, 23. Garry Ringrose

STORMERS

TRIES: 1 (Smith 28')

CONVERSIONS: 0

PENALTIES: 2 (Matthee 34', 52')

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS: 2 (Zas 46', Moerat 70')

RED CARDS: 1 (Ackermann 65')

Starting XV: 15. Damian Willemse, 14. Wandisile Simelane, 13. Ruhan Nel (c), 12. Dan du Plessis, 11. Leolin Zas, 10. Jurie Matthee, 9. Imad Khan; 1. Ntuthuko Mchunu, 2. André-Hugo Venter, 3. Neethling Fouché, 4. Adré Smith, 5. Connor Evans, 6. Paul de Villiers, 7. Ben-Jason Dixon, 8. Evan Roos

Replacements: 16. JJ Kotzé, 17. Vernon Matongo, 18. Zachary Porthen, 19. Salmaan Moerat, 20. Ruan Ackermann, 21. Marcel Theunissen, 22. Stefan Ungerer, 23. Warrick Gelant

An epic double-header day of URC semi-final action has come to a close, with the finalists now set in stone for the 2025/26 season. The stage is set for Croke Park with Leinster set to take on the Bulls, after the Pretoria side triumphed over Edinburgh earlier this afternoon.

The action in the Scottish capital came down to the wire, as the Bulls fought back from a three-try deficit, for a dramatic 22-21 victory over Glasgow Warriors. This will be the seventh 'do-or-die' match for Leinster this season, considering all of the Champions Cup and URC knock-out matches that the Dublin side has endured throughout the 2025/26 campaign. As the

With it confirmed that Leinster would host the URC Final at Croke Park ahead of the match, this semi-final marked the end of Lukew McGrath's time at the Aviva Stadium. However, whilst it was quite the emotional moment for the legendary Leinster scrum-half, it was the starting number nine Jamison Gibson-Park that took the plaudits from the hard-fought semi-final against the Stormers.

Gibson-Park ran the show for his 75 minutes on the pitch, with the intention to take the battle tot he air apparent from the get go. The Ireland international sent a plethora of expertly weighted box kicks to the Aviva Stadium skies, with some soaring so high they nearly came down covered in snow. The half-back was at his sniping best around the park with a series of surging carries that asked plenty of questions to the back-tracking Stormers defence.

Leinster fans were shocked to see their scrum half hit the deck, after his own out-half Sam Prendergast missled the ball into the side of his head from point-blank range. Thankfully, Gibson-Park was able to shake off the blow following an assessment from the medical staff, as he took centre stage for a starring end to the semi-final. The New Zealand born star took it upon himself to skip free for the match winning try, and scuttle away under the posts to send the Aviva Stadium into a frenzy.

Gibson-Park expressed how he "Wasn't quite ready for it." and that his "ears were ringing" after the cannon from Prendergast caught him on the side of the head, yet laughed off the incident stating that Prendergast would have blamed him for getting in the way.

The rumour mill continues to spin around the Irish capital, regarding the uncertain future of James Lowe with Leinster. There has been increasing speculation that the New Zealand born flyer could be departing Dublin at the end of the season, with links across the French Top 14 and even a move to Newcastle Red Bulls rising up in recent weeks. A fan was spotted holding a cardboard sign saying 'Don't Go James Lowe', as the Leinster supporters rightfully want to keep hold of their winger.

If this is the last time that Leinster fans will see their long-haired flyer at the Aviva Stadium, then Lowe certainly left with plenty of positives from his performance. The outside back recieved an immense ovation once his name was read out, with fans sensing that the end is near for the star speedster. Lowe had plenty of eye-catching moments throughout the match, as he exploded along the left wing and bundled his way over the Stormers defence for some high-light reel carries.

Lowe was always looking for the offload, with the likes of Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan in pursuit of the rangey wing. His 37th minute carry was the stand-out from the Leinster man, yet he also put in plenty of pivotal touches to see his province forward throughout the gutsy second half offensive. Whilst it would be a sorry sight if Lowe departed Dublin, whoever picks up the Ireland sensation will bag one of the signings of the Summer.

There was an early exit at the Aviva Stadium, as Leinster loose-head Andrew Porter was withdrawn from the fold after just 20 minutes on the clock. The experienced Ireland international struggled up front, as the Stormers pulled no punches through their revered scrum-time set-piece.

After a series of scrum penalties went against the Dubliners, a further set-piece was wheeled against the hosts with Porter in some discomfort once the 16-man shunt disbanded. After the match, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen confirmed that Porter has sustained a calf injury, with the Ireland international now joining Dan Sheehan on the front row injury wards.

It's currently unclear as to whether Porter will feature in the upcoming United Rugby Championship Final at Croke Park, yet there is optimism around the extra week of recovery and preparation between now and the incoming show-piece match at the home of GAA.

The tempers flared from both sides at the Aviva Stadium, as the raw emotion spilled overboard between Leinster and the Stormers. Leinster led 13-8 at half-time with fine margins between the two hard-hitting semi-finalists, yet some choice words that will remain unknown, sparked a brawl between the two sides on their way down the tunnel at half-time.

Whilst it was immediately unclear as to what was said to start the mass push-and-shove, Stormers lock Connor Evans and Leinster prop Thomas Clarkson that looked to be at the centre of the fray, with Clarkson pointing over at Evans as the two players were pulled apart. The Stormers were irate and shouted at the Leinster players, as a 30-man frenzy erupted on the side of the pitch.

Leinster's Caelan Doris and Joe McCarthy were at the heart of the skirmish for the hosts, with the lock rubbing the head of a Stormers player in a mocking fashion. There's no doubt that this match meant so much to both sets of players, with the Stormers eventually capitulating with their poor disclipline. The Cape Town side gave away three carded penalties, with Leolin Zas, Salmaan Roemaat both sent to sin bin, with Ruan Ackermann brandished with a red card.

Ackermann's offense was a brazen moment of madness, as the back row forward flew into the ruck with his tucked shoulder and made contact with the head of Ronan Kelleher. The Leinster hooker was then withdrawn, albeit Cullen ensured that no injury had taken place with the planned replacement for Gus McCarthy. The Stormers fell to pieces in the closing 15 minutes, with Leinster taking advantage of having extra players on the pitch, and race away for a memorable win.