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
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Your support makes all the difference.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.
Follow the live action below...
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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.
47 mins: By all accounts it's been a disastrous start to the second half for Saracens and a brilliant one for Leinster. From a ruck outside the 22 in centre field, Dan Leavy passes out to James Ryan, who takes contact and passes back inside to Leavy, and the openside flanker gallops through the gap that's opened up to dive over underneath the posts. Sexton lands the simple conversion and Leinster have built an 11-point lead.
51 mins: Nacewa almost made Farrell look very silly just then as he took first-phase ball from the scrum and stepped the England international who's nine years his junior, only for Farrell to get a hand on the ball and force a knock-on. Saracens were in big trouble there if he got away.
Schalk Brits comes on for Jamie George in the Sarries front-row.
53 mins: Saracens start to get some nice moves flowing as Williams makes a break, but when Farrell feeds Vunipola the big prop knocks it forwards and compounds the error by it hitting Farrell in an offside position. Sexton kicks to touch inside the Saracens half, as Healy is replaced by Jack McGrath.
55 mins: Leavy breaks again! He surges through the middle and it takes a good tackle from Goode to stop him, but Leinster are deep inside the Saracens 22 and can smell blood. They go through the phases - 22 of them to be precise - but Sexton's pass is knocked forwards by Kearney and nothing comes of it. A big let off for Saracens, but you also have to praise their defence there.
58 mins: That could well be the end of the Saracens title defence. A nice break down the left saw the ball offloaded to Sexton, who found McGrath inside him and it took a good tackle from Williams to stop him from scoring. the ball was recycled though and from close range wing James Lowe forces his way over to score. With Sexton receiving treatment, McFadden converts the try.
Leinster 30-12 Saracens
64 mins: Ouch. Liam Williams thinks he's in, but as he tries to negotiate the last man in Kearney and gets a shoulder to the head as a result. He's slipping but it looks really bad, and astoundingly Garces takes no further action other than a penalty?! That is bizarre...
Farrell kicks to touch and they get the driving maul set-up...TRY FOR SARACENS!
64 mins: It's Blair Cowan who emerges with the ball to claim the try, and Farrell's touchline conversion makes it 30-19. A lifeline for Saracens?
68 mins: Lots more changes now as Johnny Sexton departs and Joey Carbery comes on at fly-half. Saracens have 12 minutes to score twice and save their campaign, and they are at least showing life as Wray makes an excellent break off the restart, only for Farrell to give up the ball. from the resulting scrum, Saracens give away a penalty and are on the back foot again.
71 mins: A high ball is dropped by Goode - but there's no knock-on? Did it come off his leg? Either way, the full-back regathers and breaks, and Saracens are into Leinster territory with a chance, but the counter-ruck comes in and the ball is turned over. Nick McCarthy, on for McGrath at scrum-half, can't take advantage though as he kicks straight into touch.
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