Toulon vs Leinster match report: Toulon in third final thanks to Bryan Habana’s interception

Toulon 25 Leinster 18 (After extra-time): South African wing's late try sends reigning champions through to all-French final

Bryan Habana scores the match winning try in the European Champions Cup semi-final victory over Leinster (Getty Images)

Bryan Habana’s interception try in extra time helped secure a place in the European elite final for Toulon for the third year in a row.

Big-spending Toulon, winners of the now defunct Heineken Cup in 2013 and 2014, were level at 15-15 midway through the first extra period before scoring 10 points before the interval when down to 14 men after Ali Williams had been sent to the sin bin.

Habana intercepted an Ian Madigan pass to scamper over for the game’s first try early in extra time and Leigh Halfpenny kicked the conversion to add to his six penalties but Sean O’Brien’s try in the second extra period set up a nervy finale.

The semi-final between two sides who have won five of the last six European Cups between them, including the last four in a row, was far from a classic and finished 12-12 after 80 largely forgettable minutes.

The victors’ coach, Bernard Laporte, admitted Toulon “lacked discipline”, while Leigh Halfpenny, who kicked six penalties and a conversion, said: “Something like this is what you grow up dreaming of.”

French rivals Clermont Auvergne, who beat Saracens on Saturday, await Toulon in the 2 May final at Twickenham, a repeat of the 2013 showpiece in Dublin.

Line-ups & scores:

Toulon: Tries Habana; Conversion Halfpenny; Penalties Halfpenny 6. Leinster: Try O’Brien; Penalties Madigan 5.

Toulon: Halfpenny; D Armitage, Bastareaud, Giteau, Habana; Michalak, Tillous-Borde; Chiocci, Guirado, Hayman, Botha, Williams, J Smith, Fernandez Lobbe, Masoe. Replacements Armitage for J Smith (35), Mitchell for Habana (91), Wulf for Michalak (48), Menini for Chiocci (51), Orioli for Guirado (68), Chilachava for Hayman (75), Suta for Botha (61).

Leinster: R Kearney; McFadden, Te’o, Madigan, Fitzgerald; Gopperth, Boss; Healy, Cronin, Ross, Toner, M McCarthy, J Murphy, O’Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements Kirchner for McFadden (61), Reddan for Boss (66), J McGrath for Healy (66), Strauss for Cronin (66), Moore for Ross (57), Marshall for M McCarthy (91), D’Arcy for Gopperth (90).

Referee: W Barnes (Gloucestershire).