Leinster v Northampton Saints: Champions Cup kick-off time and TV channel information

If it is anything like last year's meeting, Leinster and Northampton should serve up a thriller in Dublin late on Saturday afternoon.

The sides met in the Champions Cup semis at Croke Park, with a record 82,300 spectators packing out the GAA's HQ to see Leinster take a 20-3 lead and James Lowe help himself to a hat-trick of tries.

However the Saints stormed back into the contest in the second half and Leinster were left hanging on to a three-point lead in the closing stages before eventually prevailing 20-17.

Although they played their quarter-final this season at Croke Park, the province is returning to the more familiar surrounds of the Aviva Stadium as Leo Cullen's charges, playing in their fifth consecutive semi-final, look to reach a fourth straight final in their quest for a fifth Champions Cup crown - their first since 2018.

This will be the 11th meeting of the clubs and Northampton have only claimed one victory - an 18-9 defeat of Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in 2013. Two years earlier, the sides collided in the final in Cardiff and a Johnny Sexton-inspired second half comeback drove Leinster to glory.

This latest semi-final kicks off at 5.30pm on Saturday, with Pierre Brousset taking charge of proceedings - the French referee also took charge of Leinster's last 16 victory over Harlequins.

Tournament organisers EPCR have announced that referees' decisions will be broadcast over stadium public address systems for the Champions Cup semi-finals and for the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals this season.

Supporters in attendance will be able to hear the real-time discussions and reasoning behind decisions made between the referee and the television match official (TMO).

After the system was put in place for the Six Nations and has been trialled in the URC and Premiership, it will be the first time that the broadcast will be available in European club games.

Tony Spreadbury, EPCR’s Head of Match Officials,said: “Allowing fans to hear how decisions are made on the pitch will enhance the matchday experience and help educate spectators in real time.

"It’s an exciting step towards making the game more accessible to newcomers, and we’re thrilled to introduce this feature during such a pivotal stage of the competition.”

While James Ryan has been sidelined with a calf injury in recent weeks, otherwise Cullen should have a full deck to select from after resting most of his frontliners for Saturday's URC defeat at the Scarlets.

That was only the province's second defeat of the entire season and they remain at the top of the URC table and are unbeaten in the Champions Cup. Northampton, who beat Clermont and Castres in the knock-out stages to reach the last four, are in seventh place in the Premiership with seven wins and eight defeats domestically.

The game will be shown live on RTÉ 2 and the RTÉ Player, and on Premier Sports 1. Coverage begins on RTÉ 2 at 4.45pm and on Premier Sports 1 at 5pm.

In the second semi-final, Ireland’s Andrew Brace will officiate at the Matmut Atlantique on Sunday, where Bordeaux Bègles meet defending champions Toulouse (3pm Irish time).

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