Leinster vs Saracens LIVE: European Champions Cup reign ends as Sarries are beaten in quarter-finals
Follow the latest from the European Champions Cup quarter-final in Dublin
Saracens put their European crown on the line on Sunday when they take on Champions Cup favourites Leinster at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, but will have to do so without a number of the players who helped them to the title last season.
Owen Farrell has been declared fit to start after recovering from a thigh strain, but Saracens are without influential back-row players in Billy Vunipola and Michael Rhodes, and well as Australian heavyweight lock Will Skelton.
Leinster meanwhile are able to recall all of their Six Nations Grand Slam winners that were given the week off last weekend, with the likes of Johnny Sexton, Tadhg Furlong and Garry Ringrose all returning two weeks after their Twickenham triumph over England.
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What time does it start?
Leinster vs Saracens kicks off at 15:30 on Sunday 1 April.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on BT Sport 2 from 15:00.
Teams
Leinster: Rob Kearney; Fergus McFadden, Garry Ringrose, Isa Nacewa (c), James Lowe; Johnny Sexton, Luke McGrath; Cian Healy, Sean Cronin, Tadhg Furlong; Devin Toner, James Ryan, Scott Fardy, Dan Leavy, Jordi Murphy.
Replacements: James Tracy, Jack McGrath, Andrew Porter, Rhys Ruddock, Max Deegan, Nick McCarthy, Joey Carbery, Rory O'Loughlin.
Saracens: Alex Goode; Liam Williams, Marcelo Bosch, Brad Barritt (c), Sean Maitland; Owen Farrell, Richard Wigglesworth; Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Juan Figallo; Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Nick Isiekwe, Schalk Burger, Jackson Wray.
Replacements: Schalk Brits, Richard Barrington, Titi Lamositele, Dominic Day, Blair Cowan, Ben Spencer, Alex Lozowski, Chris Wyles.
2 mins: Saracens get and early chance to attack as Mcgrath puts the ball straight into touch from the restart. However, from the lineout Saracens give away possession on the first phase as Itoje is isolated and Leinster win the penalty.
4 mins: Burger makes up for the slow start as he turns the ball over after a nice tackle from Wray, and Saracens are happy to let Wigglesworth kick the ball away to Kearney outside his own 22....
TRY FOR LEINSTER!
4 mins: How about that! Kearney takes the ball into contact and Leinster go wide immediately. Nacewa feeds Lowe on the left wing, and he skins opposite man Liam Williams to break down the wing. he ships the ball back inside to Nacewa, who draws in Goode and feeds Garry Ringrose to go over!
Sexton gets the easy conversion and Leinster lead 7-0!
9 mins: A big 'oooph' goes up as Vunipola is up-ended legally by Nacewa and is allows Healy to turn the ball over after 14 phases of attack from Saracens, But the resulting pass to Nacewa is poor, and his clearance kick finds touch only on the 22, so Saracens still have a good chance to attack here.
12 mins: Again, lots of phases for Saracens but the Leinster defence is so disciplined and so regimented that there is little for Sarries to work with. They finally concede a penalty for offside and there's no advantage as Goode is shoved into touch, so Farrell kicks the penalty from in front of the posts to reduce the lead.
Leinster 7-3 Saracens.
15 mins: This is a good response from Saracens as Wray makes a nice half-break into the 22. Itoje and Burger combine, but the latter's offload to Vunipola is poor and Kruis has to get back to retrieve the ball. He does so, and when the defence piles on top of him Jerome Garces awards Saracens the penalty from in front of the posts.
16 mins: Farrell gets the kick to reduce the lead to one point.
Leinster 7-6 Saracens
18 mins: Itoje rushes up and puts in a big hit on Sexton, knocking the ball on in the process, and after initially awarding a penalty Garces changes his mind to a scrum. replays suggests the England lock is a bit lucky there. Sexton needs treatment too, but he's a hard cookie and he's back on his feet a few seconds later.
19 mins: No Leinster get a chance to show what they can do as Sexton starts to pull the strings, and when Wray is penalised for not rolling away the home side duly take the shot at goal. Sexton lines it up centrally from about 37m.
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