Leinster march on
More than 50,000 proud Leinster fans descended upon the streets surrounding the Aviva Stadium after their win over Toulouse.
The boys in blue successfully paved the way to Cardiff for the Heineken cup final.
The Herald spoke to some of the delighted fans as they spilled out on to Lansdowne Road.
"We went to the semi-final last year when we lost to Toulouse, so we were a little apprehensive -- especially in the first 15 minutes. But once we were 29-20 up, I knew we had it in the bag," said Robyn Amelia Ferris, from Bray.
Brian Noone, from Kildare, was on the edge of his seat for the whole 80 minutes.
"It was scary when we were trailing behind, but once we started putting points on the board we got our confidence back."
"It was a rocky first half," Seamus Fogarty, from Naas, told the Herald.
"I thought the referee made a few poor decisions, but we took control. If I can manage to get a ticket I'd love to go to the final," he added.
pressure
"It's a super position to be in, we needed a lift like that. The lads played well; despite being under pressure after a couple of poor line-outs and losing the scrum, we never gave up," said Kildare man Cormac Gleeson, who attended the match with his brother Emmett.
Emmett enjoyed his first outing at the new stadium and said the atmosphere was electric.
"The Aviva Stadium is incredible. The last time I was here was in 1995 for a Six Nations game and I have to say it still feels like the old Lansdowne Road."
Daragh Burns, from Killiney, was hugely impressed with Jamie Heaslip, who scored a crucial try.
"Heaslip definitely deserved man of the match," he said.
Blackrock College students Vinog Keavy (16) and Tim Crowley (16) were in awe of prop Cian Healy's rampaging display.
"We thought Cian Healy played particularly well, but Heaslip is our player of the tournament."
David Reamsbottom, from Santry, was another to give the thumbs up to the number eight.
"We're thrilled with the win, but we went about it the hard way. Jamie Heaslip was fantastic -- it's been a while since he had a stormer like that."
John Martin, from Castleknock, said he was in heaven once he heard the final whistle.
"The atmosphere was mental, the crowd was the best part of the day. One of the highlights for me though was a tackle by fullback Isa Nacewa towards the end of the second half."
Barra Cunz, from Wicklow, also cheered on Nacewa's efforts. "It couldn't have gone better for us today. Nacewa is so consistent."
Steven Bourne, from Greystones, was blown away by Isaac Boss's contribution.
"Boss changed the entire pace of the game when he came on. He made a huge difference in my view."
hnews@herald.ie
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