![\"17](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/00243d89-614.jpg\"\/)
\nUlster lost to Leinster in the URC last month<\/p>\n
Former Ireland captain and manager Donal Lenihan looks ahead to Ulster’s Challenge Cup semi-final against Exeter, and Leinster’s Champions Cup clash with Toulon. <\/p>\n
This is a huge opportunity for Ulster, 80 minutes away from what could hopefully be a double-header, if Ulster and Leinster advance, in Bilbao in a couple of weeks’ time in their respective finals.<\/p>\n
Ulster have been outstanding all year but they’ve just hit a bit of a blip in the last few weeks. Leinster were very good when they beat them in Belfast a couple of weeks ago.<\/p>\n
They sent a weakened team down to Munster last week and got hammered. I think a lot depends if they can get people like Angus Bell back in their side. At their best, they’re a really competent team.<\/p>\n
Exeter, on the other hand, we saw what they were like, 31-0 in the opening half against Munster in the last 16 of this competition.<\/p>\n
But I’m hoping that home advantage and [Ulster] get their frontline players back should be enough to get them over the line in that one.<\/p>\n
\nUlster lost to Leinster in the URC last month<\/p>\n
Leinster are so difficult to get a real feel for them.<\/p>\n
They’ve been inconsistent all year. I felt they were hitting the ground running just at the right time when they went to Belfast a couple of weeks ago and won 29-21<\/a>.<\/p>\n And then they got to Benetton last week and lose<\/a> with what was a starting team, I think they had 12 internationals.<\/p>\n So, unfortunately, they’ve been up and down. They weren’t tested in the round of 16 or quarter-finals in Europe when they walked over Edinburgh and Sale but they have a real test on their hands tomorrow (3pm).<\/p>\n Toulon are a really strong side. They beat Glasgow in Glasgow in the quarter-final. Nobody expected that.<\/p>\n You look at their forwards up front. They have the likes of Charles Ollivon, who was outstanding for France in the Six Nations.<\/p>\n Front row, really competent: Jean-Baptiste Gros was the starting loosehead for France; Kyle Sinckler, a former England and British and Irish Lions player, on the tighthead side.<\/p>\n And it looks as if Andrew Porter will be starting, which is great but Tadhg Furlong could be out so that evens things up.<\/p>\n But from a Leinster perspective, that [2025] semi-final defeat to Northampton has haunted them all year.<\/p>\n Apparently, they’ve had clips and comments up in their training base in Dublin as a consequence of that.<\/p>\n I go for Leinster, not because of any tactical scenario, but I think it’s a game they have to win because I just think they can’t afford to lose it.<\/p>\n I think the ramifications would be huge.<\/p>\n Donal Lenihan was speaking on RT\u00c9 Radio 1’s Morning Ireland<\/p>\n Listen to the RT\u00c9 Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Spotify<\/a> or wherever you get your podcasts<\/a>, and email us at sportpodcasts@rte.ie<\/p>\n \n Follow our live blog on Leinster v Toulon in the Investec Champions Cup on Saturday from 3pm on RT\u00c9.ie\/sport and RT\u00c9 News app and listen to Saturday Sport on RT\u00c9 Radio 1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Ireland captain and manager Donal Lenihan looks ahead to Ulster’s Challenge Cup semi-final against Exeter, and Leinster’s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":426805,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[61,60,112],"class_list":["post-426804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}