Leinster 32 (16)
Stade Toulousain 23 (13)

Four-times champions Stade Toulousain have been knocked out of the Heineken Cup after losing 32-23 away to Leinster on Saturday.

Both sides scored two tries each, but Leinster's Jonny Sexton made the difference as he landed eight out of eight kicks at goal for a match haul of 22 points.

Toulouse were continually pinged for lack of discipline throughout this high-octane encounter, and eventually paid the price as they were undone by Sexton's boot.

It was sweet revenge for the Irish province, who lost their 2009 crown at the hands of Toulouse when they went down 26-16 in last season's semi-final.

Heineken Cup 2010/11 Results and Tables

The French giants had got off to a perfect start when centre Florian Fritz went over for an opportunistic try after just five minutes at the Aviva Stadium.

Toulouse had been awarded a penalty after Brian O'Driscoll went over the top, but David Skrela's kick struck the left upright and left the Leinster captain stranded as Fritz took full advantage to run in. Skrela then added the extras as the visitors stole into an early 7-0 lead.

Leinster fly-half Sexton helped settled frayed Irish nerves with a 10th-minute penalty as the home side finally got on the board, only for Skrela to slot a reply drop-goal two minutes later.

Sexton was on target again on the quarter hour as the 2009 champions gathered momentum, and they then went ahead on the half hour after number eight Jamie Heaslip went over at the culmination of 17 phases. Sexton's conversion put Leinster 13-10. 

Toulouse winger Vincent Clerc then stopped short of the Leinster line, only for a cynical O'Driscoll foul to earn the Ireland centre a yellow card four minutes before the interval. Skrela slotted the resultant penalty, but Leinster managed a penalty back right on the whistle to go in 16-13 ahead (but a man down) at the break.

Toulouse emerged determined to make O'Driscoll's absence count, and they had already threatened through Clerc and Cédric Heymans before a five-metre scrum presented hulking number eight Louis Picamoles with an easy passage over for their second try. Skrela was again on target with the extras as the visitors reclaimed the lead to move 20-16 up.

Flanker Yannick Nyanga was forced off soon after, giving way to usual club and national captain Thierry Dusautoir, who was promptly penalized after his first tackle to hand Sexton the opportunity to kick his fifth success of the afternoon.

Dusautoir's penalty against was the eight Toulouse had conceded in the match, compared to Leinster's three, and continued to undermine their efforts against the Irish side.

Eight minutes later and Sexton was at it again after the Leinster scrum - bolstered by Heinke van der Merwe's arrival - made mincemeat of the Toulouse scrum and conceded yet another penalty. This time their ill-discipline cost them the lead as Sexton continued his 100% record and made them pay dearly once more.

Five minutes later and that man O'Driscoll was at the centre of attention again, this time for scoring Leinster's second try (and his 30th in the competition) as he dived over from close in following mounting pressure backed by the home crowd's rising decibel level. Sexton inevitably made it a seven-pointer and suddenly Leinster were 29-20 clear going into the last quarter. 

Toulouse looked out of it at that point as Leinster continue to grow, but Guy Noves' team dug deep as they pounded the home team's line in the closing stages. The French threw everything they had at their counterparts, with Yannick Jauzion, Nicolas Bézy and Shaun Sowerby all now on the pitch for their final assault.

With five minutes left Bézy stepped up to land a 49m penalty which narrowed the gap to six points, but that final match-winning try proved evasive and the 2010 champions were forced to accept defeat, no matter how bitter the taste.

Sexton, appropriately, ended the match with his eighth kicking success, his sixth penalty, and it was time for the Irish to party.

Heineken Cup preview: Champions Stade Toulousain out to prove experts wrong