Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Northampton fans celebrate in Dublin.Laszlo Geczo/INPHO FreeEndgame 'I don’t understand the decision' - Leinster come agonisingly close Leinster thought they had scored a winner with a minute left against Saints. 9.30pm, 3 May 2025 Share options AS THE TMO review rolled on and on, hope must have faded among the Leinster players and their supporters. On first glance, it looked like Ross Byrne had dotted the ball down successfully in the left corner. It would have been enough to edge Leinster into another Champions Cup final. But as referee Pierre Brousset continued to review the incident, it became more and more muddy. The Frenchman eventually ruled that Northampton lock Alex Coles had illegally stripped the ball from Josh van der Flier on the ground within inches of the tryline. Penalty and a yellow card against Coles. Advertisement Which begged the question of whether it should have been a penalty try. If Coles hadn’t ripped the ball away, surely van der Flier would have reached out to finish? But it wasn’t to be for Leinster. “I don’t know, I don’t know,” said Leinster prop Rabah Slimani after his side’s 37-34 semi-final defeat. “I don’t understand the decision because if it’s a penalty and a yellow card, I don’t know why it’s not a try, but that’s the ref’s decision. He has his opinion,n but it’s hard.” Slimani wasn’t pointing the finger of blame for Leinster’s defeat at the refereeing. They still had one final chance after that decision and turned the ball over. Leinster were left dejected.Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO He believes Leinster needed to be stronger in defence on an evening when Northampton scored five tries. “We lost some focus in defence but we never stopped the effort during the second half and we were very close at the end,” said Slimani. “It’s very hard for the team but that’s the reality. “Last year the semi-final against Northampton was very close and today too. I think it’s normal that we were a little bit nervous. We didn’t make a good start, they scored a lot of points. We lost by three points, that’s very disappointing.” This was the first Champions Cup semi-final of 35-year-old Slimani’s career. He has signed on to play with Leinster again next season but he remains hopeful that his first campaign will end with a trophy. Slimani doesn’t believe that today’s defeat adds to the pressure to win the URC. Related Reads 'We can take anyone on. They said Leinster by 30, but here we are' 'We get a little bit jittery' - Cullen regrets Leinster's 'horrific' defeat “Not pressure, but now we have just one target,” he said. “We are disappointed not to make the Champions Cup final but now the target is the URC. We have had a very good season in the URC, we need to continue that.” Murray Kinsella View 36 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'I don’t understand the decision' - Leinster come agonisingly close”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'I don’t understand the decision' - Leinster come agonisingly close”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Northampton rabah slimani News in 60 seconds FreeCrucible Mark Williams earns World Snooker final spot after hard-fought win over Judd Trump 16 mins ago Freein control Max Verstappen takes pole position for Miami Grand Prix 25 mins ago Leipzig put Harry Kane's Bundesliga title party with Bayern on ice as Barca close in on title 50 mins ago Defending champions Athlone put three goals past Galway as Sligo Rovers stun Peamount 53 mins ago FreeSaints March On 'We can take anyone on. They said Leinster by 30, but here we are' FreeHighlights All ten tries as Northampton knock Leinster out of Champions Cup in epic semi-final FreeRegrets 'We get a little bit jittery' - Cullen regrets Leinster's 'horrific' defeat As it happened Leinster v Northampton Saints, Champions Cup semi-finals FreeAs it happened Waterford v Limerick, Munster senior hurling championship Leinster's dream dead as Saints storm into Champions Cup final Murray Kinsella Reports from the Aviva Stadium 'How many rugby teams are playing in front of over 40,000? I wouldn't take it for granted' more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account