 | MATCH SUMMARY Leeds (22) 56
Tries: McKenna, Ellis, McGuire (2), Lauitiiti, Bai, Calderwood, Burrow, Walker, Poching
Goals: Burrow (8) Toulouse (18) 18
Tries: Viala, Wynne, Raguin
Goals: Couturier (3) |
Leeds were given a fright by French part-timers Toulouse before stretching clear to convincingly seal their place in the Powergen Challenge Cup final. The Rhinos were huge favourites but received a rude awakening as Toulouse's Adrien Viala scored after two minutes.
Chris McKenna replied for Leeds, but Toulouse scored two more tries to trail just 22-18 at half-time.
But Leeds' fitness inevitably told as they ran in six second-half tries to overcome Toulouse's brave challenge.
Toulouse's players were making history at the Galpharm Stadium as the first non-British side to reach the tournament's last four.
But they showed no signs of nerves as they hit the ground running in spectacular fashion.
A solid opening set took Toulouse to within striking distance, and a clever delayed pass from captain James Wynne allowed Viala to burst over on the right.
 Viala gave Leeds a wake-up call with his early score for Toulouse |
McKenna's swift answer for Leeds - after Richie Mathers clever kick was palmed inside by Mark Calderwood - appeared to settle Leeds, but Toulouse refused to lie down.
A piece of sharp footwork gave Wynne the smallest of gaps, and the half-back drove through two tacklers to stretch out for the line.
The Rhinos hit back as Gareth Ellis took advantage of the confusion caused by several decoy runners to cross on the left.
A Damien Coutrier penalty brought Toulouse level at 12-12 before Leeds went ahead again as Danny McGuire scored following good work from Matt Diskin.
Ali Lauitiiti's try - a result of simple hands along the Leeds backline - soon after gave the Rhinos a seemingly comfortable 22-12 lead.
But again the French side bounced back, as the outstanding Sebastien Raguin burst onto a short pass and sidestepped Mathers to cut the gap to just four points at the break.
Some disgruntled Rhinos fans booed their team off the pitch, but the scoreline was more of a reflection of Toulouse's tremendous display.
 Ali Lauitiiti tries to offload as the Toulouse defence swarm |
Leeds coach Tony Smith looked to have read the riot act to his players in the interval as they came out full of purpose for the second-half with Marcus Bai scoring on 41 minutes in the left corner.
Toulouse were again roused into action as they set camp on the Leeds line, forcing a repeat set of six, without quite doing enough to score.
As the opposition began to tire, Leeds upped the pace, and tries in quick succession from Calderwood and Rob Burrow finally ended the match as a genuine contest.
The floodgates never quite opened for Leeds though as Toulouse continued to defend valiantly, and they needed the sheer pace of McGuire for their next score after Mathers' break.
Chev Walker drove through three players to bring up the 50-point mark with Leeds' ninth try, and a last-gasp Willie Poching try - after a scrum against the head - was harsh on a defiant Toulouse side.
Barrie McDermott was given the chance to add the final two points with the conversion in front of the posts, but the prop sent his effort wide.
Toulouse have showed the way for French rugby league with a memorable run to the semis, while Leeds can look forward to their sixth Challenge Cup final in 12 seasons.
The Rhinos will take on Hull at the Millennium Stadium on 27 August.
Leeds: Mathers, Calderwood, Walker, Senior, Bai, McGuire, Burrow, Ward, Diskin, McDermott, Lauitiiti, McKenna, Ellis.
Replacements: Dunemann, Scruton, Poching, Bailey.
Toulouse: Murphy, Lima, Couturier, F. Estebanez, Janzac, Mulhall, J. Wynne, Faure, Gay, Gallagher, Delpoux, Raguin, Viala.
Replacements: Prizzon, Vincent, Frayssinet, Almuzara.
Referee: Richard Silverwood (Dewsbury)
Att: 10,553
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