Toulon boosted by return of two international stars ahead of Champions Cup semi-final

Leinster come into the fixture on the back of a URC defeat to Benetton, while Toulon continued their strong domestic form with a 52-26 win over Bayonne, helping them rise further up the Top 14 standings.

In that match, head coach Pierre Mignoni opted to rest several regular starters, including Charles Ollivon, David Ribbans, Ben White, and Junior Kpoku. All four had featured in Toulon’s quarter-final win over Glasgow Warriors.

Ollivon and Ribbans both returned to training on Tuesday as preparations ramped up for the semi-final in Dublin. It is Toulon’s first appearance at this stage of the competition since 2015.

Ollivon trained fully with the squad, while Ribbans took part in a limited capacity and was still wearing a training bib with a cross on it, suggesting he is being carefully managed due to ongoing back issues.

Ribbans has previously been linked with a surprise opportunity to represent his birth country, South Africa, after injury struck Eben Etzebeth.

The lock has previous international experience with England. He was called into a senior training squad in 2020 under Eddie Jones and made his Test debut in 2022 against Japan. He also featured against New Zealand shortly after.

Under Steve Borthwick, he was included in England’s 2023 Rugby World Cup squad. He played in three warm-up matches and started against Chile in the group stage.

While he missed the knockout games, he did come off the bench in England’s final match of the tournament, helping them secure third place with a win over Argentina.

Leinster have their own injury concerns. Ryan Baird is ruled out after picking up a knock in the quarter-final win over Sale Sharks, having only just returned from a previous spell on the sidelines.

There are also doubts over Tadhg Furlong and Andrew Porter, with both front-row forwards facing late fitness tests.

There was some more positive news for the Irish province, with James Lowe possibly available after recovering from a Six Nations injury. Jordan Larmour is also in contention to return, offering additional options ahead of the semi-final.