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Henry Pollock produced a remarkable individual display for Northampton - Getty Images/David Rogers
Leinster 34 Northampton 37
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A stunning victory for Northampton Saints. Stunning. Remarkably, incredibly and dramatically the English champions booked their place in the Investec Champions Cup final with a victory that could well have implications when Andy Farrell meets with his coaches to finalise his British and Lions squad on Thursday.
Leinster had been such heavy favourites to reach their fourth successive final that the bookmakers had given Northampton a 21-point start, and yet somehow Phil Dowson’s side, who have struggled in the Premiership this season, produced one of the most stunning performances in the history of this wonderful tournament.
There were heroes across the pitch, but the most eye-catching were their Lions hopefuls, with Tommy Freeman crossing for a first-half hat-trick of tries, the irresistible Henry Pollock scored a stunning solo try from half-way line, while Fin Smith outshone his Irish opposite number Sam Prendergast with a commanding display.
At the end Leinster looked shell-shocked, as their last gasp attempts to snatch the lead at the death, with Northampton down to 13 men with two players in the sin bin, but Northampton’s remarkable defiance saw them steal possession on their own line and they ran down the clock for the final 30 seconds. It was a victory that went some way to avenge the pain of Northampton’s 2011 Heineken Cup final defeat at the hands of the Irish province and now Dowson’s side will believe they can take the next step in the final in Cardiff at the end of the month.
Remarkably it was Saints who struck first, and inevitably it was finished by Freeman. James Ramm had been caught once trying to run the ball out from deep by James Lowe, but this time the Northampton full-back broke free of the Leinster’s defensive chase from a Prendergast kick, and from his diagonal break, Fin Smith cut inside and then chipped the ball ahead for Freeman to gather and score.
In the moment it felt like Saints had just poked the bear. A shoulder charge by Pollock on Josh van der Flier allowed Prendergast to cut the deficit with a penalty off the upright.
Leinster’s pressure continued, but significantly, they failed at three attempts with a line-out maul in the Saints 22. Still, the Irish side were able to take the lead when from a free-kick awarded from a scrum, Jamison Gibson-Park went quickly before Prendergast’s delightful pass put Tommy O’Brien over in the right-hand corner.
Leinster’s pressure continued and yet Northampton’s continued to fire shots of resistance. A five-metre line-out was stolen and Freeman broke clear on a 40-metre break, before Smith followed it up with a brilliantly executed 50-22. Moments later a sniping break by Alex Mitchell culminated in a penalty and Smith restored Northampton’s lead.
Leinster’s response was swift. When James Lowe tapped a penalty in the Saints’ 22, and Garry Ringrose made ground, Max Deegan held the ball after a tackle and flicked it to van der Flier who powered over for a try. When Curtis Langdon was shown a yellow card for an offside offence, again the game looked poised for Leinster to power into a commanding lead.
And once again Northampton refused to read the script, with this time Pollock showing his precocious pugnacity by scoring another try from the heavens. The 20-year-old cut a brilliant line from a ruck on the half-way line, catching the Leinster fringe defence sleeping before the sprint-finish of a winger took him around Prendergast for a stunning try. Smith converted and 14-man Northampton held the lead again.
Yet the best was yet to come. With Pollock soaking up the pressure of Leinster’s blitz defence, he was able to pass out the back to Smith to send Freeman clear up the right-hand touchline for his second try. And a minute later the England wing had completed his hat-trick after Augustus snapped up a loose ball, broke clear and then offload to Freeman to race over. Mitchell opened the door just before half-time by knocking on the restart, Northampton held firm to protect a 12-point lead at the break.
Leinster, echoing their stunning second-half comeback against Northampton in the 2011 Heineken Cup final, signalled their intent when Caelan Doris powered over for a try after van der Flier had stepped in to tap a penalty after a brilliant 50-22 by Lowe. Moments later the Ireland captain ripped the ball in a tackle and then launched his own 50-22, as the momentum swung back to Leinster.
But once again Northampton simply dusted themselves down and went again. A long-range penalty by Smith took them more than a score clear again, and when van der Flier was driven over from a line-out for Leinster’s fourth try, Northampton responded with another brilliant move, this time Alex Coles pulling the ball back and Smith looping his pass over the onrushing defenders for Ramm to score to put Northampton 10 points clear.
It set up a thrilling finale. Josh Kemeny was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Rabah Slimani and Leinster seized the moment, with Lowe finishing off another intricate tapped-penalty move after Pollock had been penalised following a break by O’Brien.
The drama continued as Augustus was penalised for taking out O’Brien after the Leinster wing had kicked long, to reduce Northampton to 13 players, and allow Leinster to kick a penalty to the corner, but after a midfield drive by Joe McCarthy, Coles stole the ball. Leinster went again, but this time van der Flier was held short and when the TMO ruled that the ball had gone out before Ross Byrne had been able to ground it.
08:11 PM BST
Thank you very much for following
Well then, Saints will face Bordeaux-Bègles or Toulouse for a shot at glory.
That was a wild ride. I am off to have a lie down. Thank you very much for following.
Stay tuned, we will have loads and loads of reaction and analysis. Catch you soon.
08:05 PM BST
Grab your bucket hats
08:00 PM BST
Leo Cullen admits loss “will sting for a long time”
“We knew Northampton were a very dangerous team and they showed that. We tried to impose our game on them and we weren’t accurate for whatever reason. That’s the pain of sport sometimes.
“It’s a loss that will sting for a long time. We’ve no one to blame but ourselves. And that’s painful.”
07:57 PM BST
Well worth a watch
You will rarely see a cluster of post-match interviews that encapsulate the clarity and conviction of a performance. Check them all out. Here’s Henry Pollock:
Here are Fin Smith and Fraser Dingwall:
And here is Phil Dowson:
07:50 PM BST
Caelan Doris speaks
07:39 PM BST
Henry Pollock’s pulse
Henry Pollock is walking around the Aviva Stadium pretending to check his pulse. I am told it’s a niche celebration. He can do what he wants right now, in fairness.
07:35 PM BST
“Immensely proud”
Phil Dowson has the mic now. “That second half was ugly,” he says. “The coaching group was in tears.”
“We took a lot from last year when we didn’t start well. We got into our game quicker this time.”
07:35 PM BST
“Pick ‘em all”
That is Fraser Dingwall’s message to Andy Farrell. Fill the Lions squad with Saints. Why not?
07:34 PM BST
Fin Smith and Fraser Dingwall speak
Fin Smith: “All week we were reading ‘Leinster by 35, Leinster by 40.”
Fraser Dingwall: “We set out in the week talking about the belief within our circle. A lot of people wrote us off but we have full belief and hopefully people recognise that now. We’ve got heaps of fight within this group. Everything fuelled our story.”
07:32 PM BST
Henry Pollock speaks
07:28 PM BST
Tommy Freeman speaks
07:27 PM BST
Official man of the match
Tommy Freeman won the gong, but there were so many unbelievable performances.
07:24 PM BST
Full-time! Northampton Saints win!
Saints are through to the final after one of the best matches in the history of this competition.
Just a phenomnal perforrmance full of attacking intution and quite extraordinay guts.
07:23 PM BST
Leinster 34 Northampton 37, 79 minutes
Leinster have coughed up the ball!
07:23 PM BST
Leinster 34 Northampton 37, 79 minutes
Leinster are tapping again.
07:22 PM BST
Yellow card, Alex Coles!
It’s going to be a Leinster penalty five metres out. There is one minute remaining. And Saints are down to 14 again.
07:21 PM BST
Leinster 34 Northampton 37, 79 minutes
We are checking what could be a winning try for Leinster. Van der Flier went close but was tackled by Freeman. The ball then squirted out and Ross Byrne dotted down.
They are looking at whether Alex Coles ripped the ball out illegally.
07:18 PM BST
Leinster 34 Northampton 37, 79 minutes
One minute, and we are going to the television match official.
07:18 PM BST
Leinster 34 Northampton 37, 78 minutes
Two minutes. Leinster in possession inside the Saints 22.
07:16 PM BST
Leinster 34 Northampton 37, 77 minutes
Three minutes left.
07:16 PM BST
Leinster 34 Northampton 37, 75 minutes
McCarthy charges through green shirts but Pollock scraps on the floor to win the turnover back!
07:15 PM BST
Leinster 34 Northampton 37, 75 minutes
Coles is held up by Barrett and loses the ball. Leinster move it to their right flank and O’Brien kicks up-field.
The officials are in. They’ve seen a late tackle on O’Brien. The penalty is awarded where the ball lands and Leinster will maul.
07:12 PM BST
Leinster 34 Northampton 37, 74 minutes
The scrum is re-set. Kemeny is ready to come back on.
07:11 PM BST
Leinster 34 Northampton 37, 73 minutes
Leinster spill a Tom James high ball. Freeman was up after it and Kelleher could not gather the rebound.
07:09 PM BST
Try, James Lowe! Leinster 34 Northampton 37, 71 minutes
It’s the old switcheroo from the tap, with the forwards sweeping it out the back and Lowe dives in out wide.
Superb touchline conversion from Prendergast.
07:08 PM BST
Leinster 27 Northampton 37, 69 minutes
Tommy O’Brien slices Saints again and there is a penalty after Pollock is pinged at the breakdown. Leinster are tapping.
07:07 PM BST
Leinster 27 Northampton 37, 68 minutes
Very interesting scenario planning from Saints. They’ve taken off Litchfield for Angus Scott-Young to keep their pack with eight.
07:05 PM BST
Yellow card, Josh Kemeny!
He’s probably quite lucky there. Either way, it’s given Saints an even tougher task.
07:04 PM BST
Leinster 27 Northampton 37, 67 minutes
We’re looking at a high shot from Kemeny on Slimani. It’s going to be some sort of card.
07:02 PM BST
Leinster 27 Northampton 37, 66 minutes
Free-kick to Leinster. Langdon dummies the throw.. Leinster looked to have Saints marked up pretty well.
07:01 PM BST
Leinster 27 Northampton 37, 65 minutes
Tom Lockett is on for Mayanavanua. Tom James has replaced Mitchell as well. And there’s a scrum penalty to Northampton.
Smith will hit touch.
07:00 PM BST
Leinster 27 Northampton 37, 65 minutes
Hutchinson scrambles to force a spill from Van der Flier. Fifteen minutes to go.
06:58 PM BST
Try, James Ramm! Leinster 27 Northampton Saints 37, 63 minutes
What a remarkable game this is. Saints just will not lie down and their attack is systematically picking off the blitz.
It’s Coles with the pull-back to Smith who throws a beautiful, looped pass over the rushing defenders to Ramm. Smith converts.
06:54 PM BST
Try, Josh van der Flier! Leinster 27 Northampton 30, 60 minutes
The maul gets going quickly and it cannot be stopped. Van der Flier has his second. Mitchell asks Brousset to check the grounding but we don’t get a replay. Prendergast shanks the conversion quite badly there. Saints lead by three.
06:52 PM BST
Leinster 22 Northampton Saints 30, 58 minutes
Augustus carries away from the scrum but Baird gets over to win the penalty. Leinster are in the corner again...
06:51 PM BST
Leinster 22 Northampton Saints 30, 56 minutes
Caelan Doris is off, with Ryan Baird coming on.
Leinster have won back the restart and they are hammering into the Saints 22 but Snyman fumbles as he attempts an offload. It was Pollock and Hutchinson in that tackle.
06:50 PM BST
Penalty, Fin Smith! Leinster 22 Northampton Saints 30, 56 minutes
Good strike from Smith. It was perhaps 50 metres out.
06:49 PM BST
Leinster 22 Northampton 27, 55 minutes
A tense period of kick tennis ends with a Saints penalty. And it’s kickable. Porter is done for failing to support his bodyweight.
06:47 PM BST
Leinster 22 Northampton 27, 53 minutes
Tadhg Furlong off. Rabah Slmani on.
06:47 PM BST
Leinster 22 Northampton 27, 52 minutes
Tommy O’Brien has been superb for Leinster. He sets up a breakdown penalty with a chip and chase. Barrett was over the ball. Big impact.
06:46 PM BST
Leinster 22 Northampton 27, 50 minutes
It’s breaking up here. The breakdown is wild. Barrett’s first contribution is to manhandle Ramm.
06:43 PM BST
Leinster 22 Northampton 27, 50 minutes
Jordie Barrett is on by the way.
06:42 PM BST
Leinster 22 Northampton 27, 49 minutes
Doris with another big moment! He strips the ball in a tackle and strikes a 50:22!
Oooh. A let-off for Saints. The Leinster drive gathers impetus, but they have formed the maul illegally.
06:40 PM BST
Try, Caelan Doris! Leinster 22 Northampton 27, 47 minutes
It’s a little too easy there for Leinster. Van der Flier tapped and threw a flat pass to Doris, who brushed off Augustus to score. Prendergast converts. Its a five-point game.
Lowe’s 50:22 absolutely critical.
06:39 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton 27, 46 minutes
Leinster are going to tap this...
06:38 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton 27, 46 minutes
Penalty to Leinster. Early drive from Saints.
06:38 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton 27, 45 minutes
More kick-tennis and a moment of brilliance from James Lowe! He guides a 50:22 with the outside of his left boot. and Saints are under the cosh again.
06:37 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton 27, 43 minutes
Jack Conan is on for Max Deegan, I think. He’s definitely on. Yep, Deegan is off.
Meanwhile, there’s a horrid pass from Gibson-Park, who was under pressure from Coles, and Prendeergast knocks on.
06:36 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton 27, 43 minutes
Langdon coughs the ball up in a tackle from Tommy O’Brien and Leinster have a chance but Doris spills.
06:35 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton 27, 42 minutes
There’s a collapse and Brousset has a word with Davison, who shrugs.
The second attempt is playable, but Snyman wins a counter-rucking turnover.
06:33 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton 27, 41 minutes
Sloppy from Leinster. There is an overthrow and Lowe cannot gather. He knocks on.
06:32 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton 27, 41 minutes
Davison is penalised for not rolling away as Pollock goes for the poach.
06:32 PM BST
Second half
Smith gets us going again.
06:31 PM BST
Players back out
This is far, far from over.
06:26 PM BST
Freeman hat-trick try
Excellent work from Augustus off the rebound. And serious pace from Freeman as well.
FIRST-HALF HAT-TRICK for Tommy Freeman
And @SaintsRugby have a 27-15 lead at the break
Follow the #InvestecChampionsCup SF livehttps://t.co/e9hzNa7SI1pic.twitter.com/3xZefd7ZKY
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) May 3, 2025
06:26 PM BST
Saints so, so smart
Northampton have been really shrewd. When launching off set piece, they haven’t gone straight to width, which has denied Leinster a chance to bolt up and suffocate them.
They’ve bounced back and forth, changing direction to nullify Leinster’s line-speed. And then they’ve had deception about their running lines, keeping the defence guessing over whether the passes will be flat or pulled deeper. It’s been a Sam Vesty masterclass.
06:17 PM BST
Half-time! Leinster 15 Northampton 27
Saints hold firm. Huge defensive set. Leinster couldn’t break them and Alex Coles is over the ball to win the turnover.
What a half. Where to start?
06:15 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton 27, 40 minutes
Huge moment here. Mitchell spills a high ball on the edge of the 22. Leinster will have a chance to reduce the deficit before half-time.
06:15 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton 27, 40 minutes
Huge moment here. Mitchell spills a high ball on the edge of the 22. Leinster will have a chance to reduce the deficit before half-time.
06:14 PM BST
Try, Tommy Freeman! Leinster 15 Northampton 27, 39 minutes
You are reading this right. Tommy Freeman has a first-half hat-trick at the Aviva Stadium. I repeat, Tommy Freeman has a first-half hat-trick at the Aviva Stadium.
Leinster fail to deal with the high ball, thanks to pressure from Freeman, and Augustus tears away. He does brilliantly to flip an offload to Freeman, who has the pace to extend the lead.
06:13 PM BST
Try, Tommy Freeman! Leinster 15 Northampton Saints 22, 37 minutes
More attacking excellence from Saints. This time it’s multi-phase zig-zagging to shorten the line and then Smith swings behind Pollock to feed Litchfield and Freeman can scorch down the right! Smith misses the conversion.
06:10 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton Saints 17, 35 minutes
Kick-tennis leads to a Northampton line-out. Pollock is down on one knee sucking in some air. Langdon returns from the sin bin, meanwhile, with Litchfield returning as well and Walker going off.
06:09 PM BST
Watch this right now
This solo try from Pollock is just extraordinary.
06:07 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton Saints 17, 32 minutes
Good defence from Saints. Ramm rushes up on the edge to force Keenan into a forward pass.
06:06 PM BST
Leinster 15 Northampton Saints 17, 32 minutes
Interesting here. Saints are still down to 14 and have sacrificed Tom Litchfield to bring on Henry Walker while Curtis Langdon stays in the bin.
06:04 PM BST
Try, Henry Pollock! Leinster 15 Northampton Saints 17
Oh my goodness. Jeez. I don’t have words for that, really.
Pollock has just scored another total jaw-dropper. He cut an angle close to the ruck around halfway and blitzed between Porter and Snyman and then rounded Prendergast in the backfield like a sprinter. Just ridiculous. Smith converts. Saints are in front.
06:00 PM BST
Yellow card, Curtis Langdon!
Double blow for Saints, with Langdon going to the bin for a breakdown infringement, too.
05:59 PM BST
Try, Josh van der Flier! Leinster 15 Northampton Saints 10, 25 minutes
It’s just relentless from Leinster and eventually they break Saints. A looped pass from Prendergast is taken by Deegan, who offloads off the front to Van der Flier. Prendergast converts.
05:57 PM BST
Leinster 8 Northampton Saints 10, 23 minutes
Leinster are seeking out Henry Pollock at restarts. He’s taken another. Keenan climbs to gather a box-kick in turn.
05:56 PM BST
Penalty, Fin Smith! Leinster 8 Northampton Saints 10, 22 minutes
Northampton are back in front. Mitchell needed some treatment, but he’s OK.
05:55 PM BST
Leinster 8 Northampton Saints 7, 22 minutes
Sharp strike move and a strong carry from Dingwall and Saints have a penalty.
05:55 PM BST
Leinster 8 Northampton Saints 7, 21 minutes
Another momentum change! Saints nick the line-out and Freeman takes off, carving 40 metres off the pitch. Fin Smith then hits a gorgeous kick that O’Brien carries over the touchline inside his own 22.
05:53 PM BST
Leinster 8 Northampton Saints 7, 20 minutes
Cian Healy goes off, Andrew Porter comes on. It’s a very Jacques Niemaber.
05:52 PM BST
Leinster 8 Northampton Saints 7, 19 minutes
More Leinster pressure. They go wide again and Keenan grubbers through. Blue shirts flood through and Saints go off their feet.
05:51 PM BST
Try, Tommy O’Brien! Leinster 8 Northampton Saints 7, 18 minutes
Clinical from the hosts. They get a free-kick from the scrum and Gibson-Park taps to feed Prendergast, who sends a ripper of a pass across Litchfield to O’Brien.
Prendergast misses the conversion, but Leinster are ahead.
05:50 PM BST
Saints screamer
Here is that Freeman finish:
05:49 PM BST
Leinster 3 Northampton 7, 16 minutes
Big moment here. Scrum Leinster about five metres out.
05:48 PM BST
Leinster 3 Northampton 7, 16 minutes
RG Snyman looks to offload in the shadow of the Saints posts. It goes loose, but it looks like it’ll be a Saints knock-on.
Dan Sheehan is down receiving treatment, meanwhile. He’s grimacing. A brief break after a breathless start.
05:46 PM BST
Leinster 3 Northampton 7, 16 minutes
Brousset delivers a warning to Dingwall after another couple of penalties...
05:46 PM BST
Leinster 3 Northampton 7, 15 minutes
That’s how quickly Leinster can change things! They find some space in their own half and stretch Saints, then win a breakdown penalty from a grubber ahead. They’re now in the corner.
05:43 PM BST
Penalty, Sam Prendergast! Leinster 3 Northampton 7, 14 minutes
Easy does it for Prendergast.
05:43 PM BST
Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 7, 12 minutes
Silly from Henry Pollock. He leaves one on Josh van der Flier to concede a needless penalty. Prendergast should kick it
05:43 PM BST
Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 7, 11 minutes
Good work from Tom Litchfield, who gets up to win back a Saints drop-out. Sketchy clearance from Smith allows Leinster to attack from a promising platform.
05:41 PM BST
Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 7, 10 minutes
Garry Ringrose flies in to clatter Dingwall. That was a huge collision. The ball spills out of the breakdown and Gibson-Park kicks long.
05:40 PM BST
Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 7, 10 minutes
Saints consolidate with a breakdown turnover. It was Manny Iyogun there.
05:39 PM BST
Try, Tommy Freeman! Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 7
What a try! Ramm sparks it, taking a kick and running diagonally across the back-field. Fin Smith cuts a slicing angle off his full-back and goes through before dropping a deft grubber for Freeman. The wing finishes and Saints lead.
Smith converts for good measure. Well, wow.
05:38 PM BST
6 minutes, Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 0
Josh Kemeny finds a gap through the fringes and turns Leinster... but Saints lose a bit of flunecy a few phases later and Mitchell runs down a blind alley.
05:36 PM BST
5 minutes, Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 0
Leinster put-in on halfway. Saints pressurise Prendergast, who is charged down. Lowe clears and Saints run it back.
05:35 PM BST
4 minutes, Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 0
Smith goes to touch and Saints play but there is a spill from Juarno Augustus in midfield.
05:34 PM BST
3 minutes, Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 0
Intriguing kick-tennis featuring James Ramm, Prendergast, Alex Mitchell and James Lowe. Ramm is caught in the back-field but Lowe is caught offside as Ramm looks to offload.
05:33 PM BST
2 minutes, Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 0
Free-kick to Saints. Fin Smith clears long. It stays in and Leinster will counter through Hugo Keenan.
05:33 PM BST
2 minutes, Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 0
Excellent work from Saints. They hold firm and force a turnover. Big moment. Curtis Landgon was crowd-surfing there. First scrum, Northampton put-in.
05:32 PM BST
2 minutes, Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 0
Doris takes at the front and Leinster maul...
05:31 PM BST
1 minute, Leinster 0 Northampton Saints 0
Early penalty for Leinster after Alex Mitchell clears. There was a breakdown infringement from Fraser Dingwall and that’s a soft one to start, Prendergast goes to touch inside the Saints 22.
05:30 PM BST
Kick-off
We are underway, Sam Prendergast striking high into the Dublin sky. Henry Pollock climbs to take above his head.
05:29 PM BST
Man in the middle
Pierre Brousset is taking charge of this one.
05:28 PM BST
Players out
Here they come, Caelan Doris leading out Leinster and Fraser Dingall leading out Saints. Two minutes to go.
05:25 PM BST
Interesting switch up
James Lowe got the better of Tommy Freeman as Ireland beat England during the Six Nations. That is another fascinating tussle.
05:21 PM BST
Henry Pollock interview
Another fun read from Dan, here. Henry Pollock was on an all-dayer for this game a year ago. Now, after a uite extraordinary few months, he is right in the thick of the action.
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05:19 PM BST
Ten minutes until kick-off
Throw some predictions in the comments. The bookies have given Saints a 21-point head start, which does not seem unreasonable.
05:18 PM BST
Similar goal, contrasting systems
This, from earlier in the week, is a look at the contrast between how Leinster and Northampton go about their recruitment and retention. Both teams aim to promote their own academy products, but there are marked differences as well.
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05:15 PM BST
Phil Dowson’s pre-match chat
05:12 PM BST
Leo Cullen speaks to Premier Sports
Cullen also praises Saints as a “dogged, intense” side who are also clever with the ball.
05:07 PM BST
Aerial preparation
Alex Mitchell’s boot will be a big feature this afternoon. James Lowe, a hugely important individual for Leinster, looks primed and ready.
05:04 PM BST
Less than half an hour to go
Almost there. Up at The Hive Stadium. in the first Challenge Cup semi-final, Bath have beaten Edinburgh.
04:51 PM BST
A week in the life
This is a really interesting feature from my colleague Dan Schofield. It’s a close look at Fin Smith’s week of preparation, from studying footage to Fajita Club.
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04:48 PM BST
Lions subplots everywhere
With Andy Farrell due to name his squad on Thursday, there are battles everywhere. Here are my top three for intrigue:
3. Jamison Gibson-Park v Alex Mitchell
2. Sam Prendergast v Fin Smith
1. Josh van der Flier v Henry Pollock
Clearly, one-on-ones are a small part of this game... but let’s indulge the hype for a few more days.
04:40 PM BST
Analysis
Styles make fights and Leinster’s blitz defence against the ball movement of Northampton should be fascinating. Here is a look at that match-up and how Saints might approach things.
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04:38 PM BST
The players are in the house
Saints arrived about half an hour ago.
And here is Sam Prendergast surveying the pitch:
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04:33 PM BST
Good afternoon everyone
Here we go. The first semi-final of the Investec Champions Cup is here, and it is an intriguing rematch at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
A year ago, at the same stager of this very competition, Leinster hosted Northampton Saints at Croke Park. They threatened to blow away opponent that seemed frozen by nerves and best by elementary errors.
But, inspired by talisman Courtney Lawes, Saints fought their way back into the contest. Phil Dowson’s side would ultimately fall 20-17. In retrospect, they regard that game as a missed opportunity.
This week, the talk from the Northampton camp has been about taking shots at a team that has won their last two knockout matches, against Harlequins and Glasgow Warriors, by a quite ludicrous aggregate of 114-0.
It is worth a look at the line-ups before we go any further, because they reinforce the colossal task at hand for Saints. Injuries to Tom Pearson, Burger Odendaal, Ollie Sleightholme and George Furbank have compromised the visitors. Leinster, meanwhile, are absolutely loaded.
Andrew Porter and Jordie Barrett, as well as Rabah Slimani and Ryan Baird, are held back among an imposing group of replacements. Expect Porter to be introduced in place of the veteran Cian Healy during the first half.
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