15 Ciarán Frawley – 8
Tough act to replace Hugo Keenan but the Skerries man’s versatility came to the fore once again. Managed the back-field well and offered himself as first receiver. Forced off injured late on which is a concern.
14 Jordan Larmour – 7
Tried to involve himself as often as possible, as he watched his fellow winger run in three tries. Won’t enjoy watching back Hendy’s try as a mix up in the back-field proved costly, but it was a rare blip.
13 Robbie Henshaw – 9
Big tackle off an early scrum set the tone for what was to come defensively. Showed great awareness and footwork to stay in play in the build up to Lowe’s hat-trick score. Immense in defence.
12 Jamie Osborne – 8
The biggest compliment you can pay the 22-year-old is that Leinster have not missed injured co-captain Garry Ringrose. Still learning the ropes, but his budding centre partnership with Henshaw continues to go from strength-to-strength.
11 James Lowe – 9
Lit up Croke Park with a brilliant hat-trick. His two first-half tries set Leinster on their way and he didn’t have to wait long to score his third. As ever, his left boot was a weapon.
10 Ross Byrne – 7
Mostly assured, but he sets such high standards for himself from the tee that he will be frustrated with some of his place-kicking. Didn’t have the pace to capitalise on a good intercept.
9 Jamison Gibson-Park – 9
His kick in behind set the platform for Lowe’s first try. The scrum-half’s quick-thinking saw him float a delightful pass for his winger to score before he cleverly battled the ball back for his second. Exceptional.
1 Andrew Porter – 9
Emphatic response to conceding a penalty at the first scrum, as the loosehead got to grips with the Saints front-row to gain the upper-hand. Went 72 minutes before making way for the record breaker.
2 Dan Sheehan – 8
Superb throw to the tail of the lineout led to Lowe’s second try. Part of a pack that was dominating Northampton while he was on the pitch. Leinster may regret taking him off as early as they did.
3 Tadhg Furlong – 9
Part of dominant scrum, the Wexford native thrived in the set-piece battle, while he also regularly popped up in midfield, getting on the ball and making things happen with his vast array of passing.
4 Ross Molony – 8
Brought back into the team to call the lineout, which ran very smoothly. The Bath-bound lock also disrupted Saints’ ball in what was an excellent all-round performance. Leinster will miss him when he departs.
5 Joe McCarthy – 9
Piled the pressure on Alex Mitchell from the off and quickly grew into the contest with a slew of big carries. Lovely offload before half-time to showcase the more subtle nuances of his game.
6 Ryan Baird – 8
Growing in stature with each big game. His athletic ability at the lineout is matched by his pace and power in open play, but he made a few errors that he will be annoyed about.
7 Josh van der Flier – 9
Played like a man who was annoyed at being dropped for the quarter-final. His carrying has gone to a new level in recent years and it was on full display again here. Outstanding at the breakdown.
8 Caelan Doris – 9
Powerful showing from the No 8. Packed a punch in attack and defence, where he and Conan won the crucial late turnover. The Mayo man will have relished captaining his side to a big win at Croke Park.
Replacements – 7
Cian Healy broke Ronan O’Gara’s long-standing record by making his 111th Champions Cup appearance. Jason Jenkins was the pick of the bunch, stealing two crucial lineouts, while Jack Conan combined with Doris to come up with the match-winning turnover, as the bench helped Leinster squeeze over the line.
