Rugby-Goode guides Saracens past favourites Leinster and into Champions Cup semis

Alex Goode, who came into the Saracens side as a replacement for suspended England skipper Owen Farrell, then converted after scoring a late try to give his team a 22-3 lead at the end of the opening period. Leinster, who had won their last 18 games at the Aviva, responded with tries through Andrew Porter and Jordan Larmour after the restart, with Johnny Sexton converting on both occasions to cut the deficit to five points at 17-22.

Holders Saracens stormed into the semi-finals of the European Champions Cup after quelling a spirited Leinster comeback to win 25-17 at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Saturday in a keenly-contested rematch of last season's title clash.

Four-time champions Leinster came into the contest as Pool 1 winners after securing six victories from as many matches while Saracens finished second in Pool 4, but it was the visitors who dominated the first half with five penalties. Alex Goode, who came into the Saracens side as a replacement for suspended England skipper Owen Farrell, then converted after scoring a late try to give his team a 22-3 lead at the end of the opening period.

Leinster, who had won their last 18 games at the Aviva, responded with tries through Andrew Porter and Jordan Larmour after the restart, with Johnny Sexton converting on both occasions to cut the deficit to five points at 17-22. Saracens missed two penalties late in the game before Goode scored one with 10 seconds remaining to deliver the knockout blow.

It was Leinster's first defeat of any sort since they lost to Saracens in last year's final. Saracens are set to drop into England's second tier at the end of the 2019-20 Premiership campaign after being relegated for breaching salary cap rules and will not be allowed to compete in Europe as a second-tier club next season.

"This team has been built through hard work, adversity and resilience and I think that Saracens spirit shone through," captain Brad Barritt told BT Sport. "With and without the ball, we won the contacts. The prospect of having another week together was the biggest thing. We were fighting for something tangible."

Flanker Michael Rhodes said the team expected a strong fightback from Leinster. "We had to weather the storm a bit," he said.

"A lot of people did not give us much of a chance. So to come up here and win after a difficult year was massive. From minute one, things just felt good for us out there." Saracens will face French Top14 side Racing 92, who beat Clermont Auvergne 36-27 in their quarter-final at Stade Marcel-Michelin.

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