Leinster receive blow ahead of crucial Champions Cup tie

There were a number of contentious incidents throughout this game.

Leinster's 57-3 destruction of Montpellier on Friday secured a Champions Cup quarter-final spot for the eastern province and puts them in prime position for home advantage if they can secure a victory against a Castres who have nothing to play for. The game was essentially over as contest midway through the first half after Francois Steyn was red-carded for a late, high hit on Ireland's Jonathan Sexton. Unsurprisingly, Steyn was cited for the incident and today a committee reviewed the "dangerous tackle" under Law 10.4(e). Steyn was found guilty and subsequently received a ban of four weeks for the incident which you can see below. Another incident which occurred during that game and will come as bad news for Leinster fans was an altercation which took place between second-row Hayden Triggs and Montpellier scrum-half, Nic White. Triggs was cited for allegedly making contact with the eye area of White. The incident took place during the 43rd minute of the match which you can see below. Triggs admitted to making contact with the eye area of the Montpellier player in today's hearing. The independent disciplinary committee handed out a four week ban to the New Zealander which is at the lower end of the scale. They reduced the ban by one week due to Triggs' guilty plea and clear signs of remorse over the incident. Nevertheless, this still means that Triggs will miss out on Leinster's final Champions Cup pool clash with Castres at the weekend, whereby a win will ensure a Champions Cup home quarter-final spot. It's disappointing news for Leinster as the Kiwi has been playing very well lately and also put in an excellent shift in the game against Montpellier.