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Leinster’s Caelan Doris says playing at Croke Park was a “step up” from the Aviva Stadium.<\/b><\/p>\n
His side beat Northampton Saints 20-17 on Saturday to advance to a third consecutive Champions Cup final, with the 82,300 attendance setting a new competition record.<\/p>\n
The four-time winners previously filled the Aviva Stadium for their quarter-final victory over La Rochelle, a ground Doris knows well as a 41-cap Irish international.<\/p>\n
Leinster, who will play Toulouse in the final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 25 May, moved the semi-final across Dublin to the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ground, with the Aviva Stadium hosting football’s Europa League final later this month.<\/p>\n
“I think it was a level up,” said the back row.<\/p>\n
“From doing the lap at the start of the warm-up and when we got around to Hill 16 especially, you could feel the energy and the noise from the crowd. It was special.<\/p>\n
“When we ran out for the first half, it was a step up from what we’ve experienced in the Aviva, probably because of the nature of it being a rare occasion to play here.<\/p>\n
“So many fans travelling over from the southside [of Dublin], I’m sure we’d a few from the northside as well, and from the rest of the province. It was a great atmosphere.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n