Leo Cullen’s Leinster moved one step closer to a fifth Heineken Champions Cup on a balmy Friday evening at The Aviva Stadium.

The English club brought three proven full-backs in the back three, making no secret about wanting to turn this into an aerial battle.

The return of Garry Ringrose and Calean Doris were significant additions to an arsenal of weapons dedicated to bringing the fifth European Cup home.

Hugo Keenan beat Mike Brown to Ross Byrne’s kick-off and Leinster racked up the phases for a ravenous Ringrose to score from his third carry for Byrne to convert.

Leicester found a way into the game off the back of Freddie Steward’s overhead take and a similar compilation of rucks earned a penalty which Handre Pollard nailed for 7-3 in the seventh minute.

The return of Tadhg Furlong from a temporary exit steadied the scrum and Jamison Gibson-Park picked up the tempo for Jimmy O’Brien to fly up the right.

A scrum penalty led to an attacking lineout which the visitors weathered well, the second wave of runners kick-started by Robbie Henshaw’s challenge on Brown in the air.

An immaculate move from a scrum all hinged on O’Brien’s late change of angle to put Ringrose in untouched for his second try, converted by Byrne.

It was soon followed by a long, low kick by James Lowe, rewarded with a lineout throw by O’Brien’s chase on Pollard.

A prolonged attack came to nothing when openside Tommy Reffell snatched a turnover and Keenan’s surge was another promising moment undone.

The speed of the ball allowed Gibson-Park to whip the passes left and right, Leicester coughing up three points to Byrne when they killed a ruck.

Leinster’s willingness to play from deep and offload at will was interrupted by Reffell’s work at the breakdown to hand the Tigers momentum.

They went for the corner, grabbed the lineout and used a Brown tap penalty to send the big men forward before Anthony Watson dived over in the corner, Pollard converting for 17-10 at the break.

The ball was sent into the sky numerous times before Gibson-Park activated another blizzard of passes with Keenan and Byrne threatening.

A high tackle by Doris on Jasper Wiese warranted a yellow card from referee Nika Amashukeli, giving Leicester a boost until Ringrose rescued a penalty on the floor

The power of the Leinster scrum churned out a penalty which Byrne turned into a 10-point lead in the 51st minute.

Patient probing created the hole for Ringrose to flow through. The inside pass allowed Gibson-Park to stroll over ahead of Byrne’s conversion in the 53rd minute.

Surprisingly, out-half Byrne came up with a turnover penalty at the ruck to set up an attacking maul which resulted in a penalty try and a yellow card for Charlie Clare in the 58th minute.

The floodgates were opening. The next maul moved convincingly for Scott Penny to emerge on the other side for the fifth try, converted by Byrne just past the hour.

It is not in Leicester’s DNA to roll over, their lineout producing a chance to go hard at the line, Olly Cracknell claiming the try and Pollard the conversion.

Replacement Harry Byrne arrived in time to slip O’Brien in for a well-deserved try directly from a lineout, Ross Byrne again converting.

Full-back Brown was binned for a high tackle on Ciarán Frawley to encourage further expansion in attack, Harry Potter picking up a loose offload to take off for a try which Leinster old boy Jimmy Gopperth converted.

It was left to the home side to see out the game, replacement hooker John McKee the man in the van of another maul try for Ross Byrne to hammer home the final conversion.