Leinster v Northampton Saints - team and prediction

SEMIFINAL PREVIEW: A blockbuster clash awaits at Dublin’s iconic Lansdowne Road Stadium, as four-time European champions Leinster take on the reigning English Premiership titleholders, Northampton Saints.

Leinster, cheered on by a passionate sea of blue, will be looking to draw on their vast experience at this level, having reached the Final in five of the last seven seasons, but having not claimed the title since 2018.

Under the guidance of coach Leo Cullen, Leinster boasts a squad packed with international superstars, including the likes of Caelan Doris, Jordie Barrett, and Jamison Gibson-Park – all shortlisted for this season’s Player of the Year.

Their 142 unanswered points over their last three Champions Cup matches show that they are more determined than ever to reclaim the European crown.

Northampton Saints arrive in Dublin full of confidence after a clinical quarterfinal victory over Castres Olympique.

Guided by Director of Rugby Phil Dowson, the Saints are spearheaded by dynamic players such as Fin Smith, Tommy Freeman and breakout star Henry Pollock – himself a Player of the Year nominee.

An in-form Saints are looking to reach their first Champions Cup final since 2011.

This semifinal is a repeat of last season’s dramatic encounter, where Northampton clawed back a second-half deficit to come within three points of Leinster.

A crucial late turnover by Jack Conan sealed the 20-17 win for the Irish side, in what was a heart-stopping finish at Croke Park.

With Lansdowne Road expected to be near capacity and fans from both nations descending on Dublin, this semifinal is again shaping up to be one of the matches of the season.

If any side have extra motivation going into this weekend’s Champions Cup semifinal, it’s Leinster.

Recent years haven’t bore the fruit that the Irish giants’ dominance might have deserved, with the four-time champions falling at the final hurdle in each of the past three seasons.

But this year’s rosy form might have a different tinge.

Having reinforced their formidable squad depth by signing Jordie Barrett and RG Snyman, together with 142 answered points so far in the knockout stages, Leinster are a force to be reckoned with this term.

* (Article continues below …)

“They are a very dangerous attacking outfit. We have to be ready.” 💬

Not long to go until our @ChampionsCup semi-final against Northampton Saints. 😤#LEIvNOR #NeverLessThanEverything pic.twitter.com/LU2JwyRz2b

— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) April 30, 2025

Speaking to the press pre-match, star hooker Dan Sheehan is one of those to have played in Leinster’s three Champions Cup finals in as many seasons.

He, along with the rest of Leo Cullen’s squad, will settle for nothing other than a win in Saturday’s semifinal to set up another shot at the side’s fifth star.

“All the lads are happy with where we are at the minute, and our motivation levels are at an all-time high,” the front row started.

And while Sheehan, who has scored nine in his last five appearances for club and country, appeared keen to harness the painful memories of those three finals, he was wary of getting carried away.

“It’s easy to look at the last three years as a failure, but it’s one of those situations where we did everything right in the run-up to the Final.

“We’ve got new players in, and we’ve had to leave players behind.

“There’s a great buzz around the changing room, but I would’ve said that last year.”

Saints head to Dublin for their Champions Cup semifinal face-off for the second year running.

Despite falling by three points last time out, a spirited Croke Park comeback will provide the perfect motivation for the English side this season.

One man who featured in last year’s semi, Fin Smith, is confident of Saints’ chances on Saturday, as well as teammate Henry Pollock’s chances of being crowned Player of the Year and featuring on a Lions tour later this year.

While Saints are on a stellar run of form in this year’s Champions Cup, they’ll have to overcome a formidable Leinster side if they are to make their first Champions Cup final since 2011, where they lost out to the Dubliners after a historic comeback.

“Leinster are in a league of their own”, he said

“There probably aren’t many games we’ve played since last year’s semifinal that’s going to prepare us for Leinster this weekend. They’re unbelievable.”

But faced with a mammoth task at hand, Smith is confident that his side can bring the level required to pass the test.

“It’s a Test match at the end of the day. But since last year, we’ve had a lot of members of our squad playing international games that are of similar intensity.”

Extra-time protocol

In the event of a drawn match at the end of normal time during the knockout stage, extra time will be played. If the scores remain tied at the end of extra time, the winner will be determined as follows:

(a) The team that has scored the most tries in the match (including extra-time) shall be deemed the winner; or,
(b) If equal on tries, by a place-kick competition.

Prediction

@rugby365com: Leinster by 12 points

Teams

Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (captain), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Max Deegan, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Jordie Barrett.

Northampton Saints: 15 James Ramm, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Fraser Dingwall (captain), 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 Tom Litchfield, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Henry Pollock, 6 Josh Kemeny, 5 Alex Coles, 4 Temo Mayanavanua, 3 Trevor Davison, 2 Curtis Langdon, 1 Emmanuel Iyogun.
Replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Tom West, 18 Elliot Millar-Mills, 19 Tom Lockett, 20 Chunya Munga, 21 Angus Scott-Young, 22 Tom James, 23 Tom Seabrook.

Date: Saturday, May 3
Venue: Lansdowne Road Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 17.30 (16.30 GMT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant referees: Luc Ramos (France), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO: Tual Trainini (France)

Source: @ChampionsCup