“I think Munster softened them up for us" - Jonathan Sexton

Leinster captain Jonathan Sexton has credited Munster for softening up Toulouse ahead of the Champions Cup semi-final.

Munster and Toulouse could not be separated after 100 minutes of rugby last weekend with the game going into a place kicking competition with the French club coming out on top.

Leinster produced a stunning performance in the semi-final beating Toulouse 40-17 with the French side looking just off the pace.

After the game, Sexton spoke to BT Sport where he acknowledged that Toulouse weren’t at their best.

"We're going to draw on all our experiences and try and go one step further" 💪

Johnny Sexton keeps showing his class as he and @leinsterrugby cruise through to the #HeinekenChampionsCup final 🏆

"I'm still loving it, and hopefully proving my worth" pic.twitter.com/3WQQcS51sN

— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) May 14, 2022

“Incredibly proud. Any time you get to a final you’re extremely happy but in some ways it’s only half done. The last time we were in a final against Saracens we got outplayed,” Sexton said.

“It was a special day in Newcastle for the wrong reasons, but our crowd turned up and we just didn’t on the day. We’ve got to learn from that lesson and hopefully we can go one step further this year.

“We train hard. It’s one of the things we pride ourselves on. Stuart [Lancaster] worked us hard during the week. But at the same time we knew Toulouse played 100 minutes last week and the emotional game that they went through.

“I think Munster softened them up for us a little bit and they came here probably not at their best. But we were close to it and we need to go again for the final, because Racing and La Rochelle are two top quality sides.”