‘A Mayo man winning at Croke Park, not a bad day!’
Caelan Doris shared a joke with a reported about his Mayo roots after Leinster’s thrilling victory at Croke Park.
Leinster held off a stirring comeback from Northampton Saints in their European Champions Cup semi-final to reach their third consecutive final and continue their quest for a fifth European crown.
The Dublin side had been 20-3 up with a quarter of the game to go, but the Premiership leaders managed to set up a nervy finish as they roared back to get within three points.
But Leinster held on in the end, sparking jubilant scenes among fans and players.
The game was played at Croker in front of a sell-out crowd of 82,300 and was the first time rugby had been played at the home of GAA in 14 years.
After the game, RTÉ spoke to Leinster number eight Caelan Doris about the match.
Praising the Saints for their performance he said: “Credit to Northampton, they’re top of the Premiership for a reason, we saw that in the second half.
“We made tough work, it was the start we wanted, went to plan initially, but they came right back into it as we expect with a team of their quality. But delighted to be in another final.”
Doris said the match had been played in a “Test match atmosphere,” adding that it was “so good having so many Leinster supporters” in the ground.
“They made it a special day for us,” he continued. “Little bit disappointed with the second half performance, [and] that we couldn’t put on a bit more of a spectacle but it was class having you all here.”
The reporter then joked that Doris must have enjoyed his “big day out on the north side” as a “Mayo man winning at Croke Park,” adding that that’s “not a bad day.”
Doris replied: “Yeah we’ve had some good days as Mayo men here so good to get a win and crack on to the next one!”
Leinster will now take on either Toulouse or Harlequins in the European Champions Cup final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 25.
The Anglo-French clash takes place in Toulouse tomorrow.
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