URC semi-final: Leinster 20 Stormers 11Nothing bonnie about the win but in a semi-final, the team that prevails is less concerned about artistic merit. Leinster dogged out the victory and on Friday week at Croke Park will get to defend their title in a repeat of last year’s URC final against the Bulls.An upgraded 20-minute red card for Ruan Ackermann, and 60 seconds later a yellow for another replacement Salmaan Moerat, either side of a match-clinching try by the imperious Jamison Gibson-Park, effectively sealed the outcome in favour of the home side.Until then it was an angst-ridden rollercoaster of an evening. The Stormers showed remarkable resilience, when down to 14 men early in the second half and 13 players for the final 10 minutes or so at which point they trailed 13-11. They played like a champion team considering all that befell them.Leinster had reason to be indebted to Jamison Gibson-Park, the official man of the match, Max Deegan, the unofficial one, and players like James Lowe, Jimmy O’Brien, Rónan Kelleher and Caelan Doris who were conspicuous in their team’s best moments. Jamie Osborne and Rieko Ioane came up with some big plays.Andrew Porter suffered a nasty-looking leg injury, while Van der Flier and Keenan also picked up knocks, albeit that the latter finished the game. There were too many times when Leinster were narrow, when they looked to run over a big side, rather than appreciating space and as a result lost crucial collisions, especially in the Stormers 22.Leinster elected to pursue the shortest and least bruising route out of their 22, Gibson-Park launched a succession of box-kicks that took Leinster where they needed to go in winning most of the scraps. A scrum penalty when Stormers tighthead prop Neethling Fouché was penalised for stepping back on the hit, gave the home side access to their opponents 22.DHL Stormers' Daniel du Plessis tackles Leinster's Caelan Doris. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho While Leinster huffed and puffed initially as they rattled through the phases, it was largely unimaginative, one-dimensional and cramped but on seven minutes that changed as O’Brien and Keenan linked on one side of the pitch, both beating tackles.A quick ruck and a couple of passes, the second perfectly timed and delivered by Jamie Osborne enabled Rieko Ioane to cruise outside Ben-Jason Dixon and cross for a try. Prendergast converted to give the home side a lead their play merited.Gibson-Park was a standout mentally and physically, sharp and quick to sniff out gaps and it was one of his breaks that led to Prendergast tagging on a penalty. It might have felt like a win for the visitors because Leinster could and should have added a second try but lacked spatial awareness at crucial times.One statistic screamed out the home side’s dominance in the opening quarter, 89 per cent possession. During that period only two scrums were completed, the rest whistled up in a tit-for-tat rap sheet. Prendergast added a second penalty for a high shot on O’Brien; again, it felt that Stormers had got off lightly, albeit acknowledging some ferocious goal line defence.The Stormers were handed a pathway into the game when a ball squirted loose in the Leinster 22, and after a prolonged softening up process Adré Smith barrelled over. Emboldened the South African side got their hands on more ball and but for a brilliant tackle by Rónan Kellher that forced a knock-on, might have got more than the Jurie Matthee penalty that ensued.Gibson-Park was again the catalyst for Leinster’s next promising attack, a quick tap penalty, a mazy run and a pass to James Lowe saw the home side set up camp once again in the Stormers 22. The visitors conceded two penalties, were officially warned, but Leinster’s slavish addiction to barrelling around the fringes into the massed ranks of defenders lacked subtlety.Leinster's Rieko Ioane on his way to scoring his side’s first try of the match. Photograph: Dan Clohessy/Inpho The Stormers defended robustly, and ironically when Leinster did move the ball, inopportunely this time, Prendergast’s hesitation when faced with a lack of support, allowed the visitors to turn over the ball. A half-time row in the tunnel in which Clarkson and Evans were first responders highlighted perhaps the frustration.Leinster started the second half much as they did the first but could not shake off the lack of accuracy that continued to dog their patterns. They stockpiled mistakes, losing momentum, field position, and ultimately opportunities to take a firm grip on the scoreboard. One error begot another, and there was a Keystone Cops farce to some of the misadventure.Individuals stepped forward. Hugo Keenan made a try-scoring tackle on Imad Khan, the outstanding Deegan nicked a lineout while Caelan Doris produced a superb sally upfield when his team needed it most.As the half wore on, Leinster’s handling got more fidgety, panicked, where individuals overplayed or were guilty of flawed judgment in the pursuit of the extraordinary when the ordinary was what was required. The inability to spot space in the backfield, large swathes of unattended green grass was mystifying or perhaps not; no look, no see, the maxim.Ackermann received a yellow card for a ludicrously dangerous clearout on Kelleher. Referee Hollie Davidson initially awarded a yellow, but it was subsequently upgraded to red. The Stormers went down to 13 players within a minute, replacement Moerat illegally interfering at a ruck.It was a double whammy as Gibson-Park played to the whistle, picked up the loose ball and with a gorgeous sidestep scooted his over the line. Harry Byrne converted and at 20-11, it was the home side’s game to lose. And they didn’t. Scoring sequence 7 mins: Ioane try, Prendergast conversion, 7-0; 17: Prendergast penalty, 10-0; 23: Prendergast penalty, 13-0; 28: Smith try, 13-5; 34: Matthee penalty, 13-8. 52: Matthee penalty, 13-11; 70: Gibson-Park try, Byrne conversion, 20-11. Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Jimmy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Max Deegan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt). Replacements: Alex Usanov for Porter (21 mins); Rabah Slimani for Clarkson (54); Jack Conan for van der Flier (Van der Flierrne for Prendergast (57); Garry Ringrose for Osborne (62); Diarmuid Mangan for J McCarthy (69); Gus McCarthy for Kelleher (69); Luke McGrath (75).DHL Stormers: Damian Willemse, Wandisile Simelane, Ruhan Nel (capt), Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas; Jurie Matthee, Imad Khan; Ntuthuko Mchunu, André-Hugo Venter, Neethling Fouché; Adré Smith, Connor Evans; Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Evan Roos. Replacements: Marcel Theunissen for Dixon (47 mins); Salmaan Moerat for Evans (47); JJ Kotzé, Vernon Matongo for Mchunu (53); Zachary Porthen for Fouché (53); Warrick Gelant for Simelane (57); Ruan Ackermann for de Villiers (59); Stefan Ungerer for Khan (62).Yellow card: Leolin Zas 46 mins. Ruan Ackermann 69 mins. Salmaan Moerat 70 mins.Red card: Ruan Ackermann 71 mins. Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)Attendance: 15,346