Champions Cup primed for heavyweight semi-finals
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The Champions Cup semi-finals take place this weekend and they are poised to be two thrilling affairs between four of the best teams in club rugby.
The four sides have lifted EPCR’s top prize a combined 11 times – four-time champions Leinster Rugby host five-time champions Stade Toulousain in Dublin on Saturday while 2020 winners Exeter Chiefs face reigning champions Stade Rochelais in Bordeaux on Sunday.
Leinster remain in the hunt for a record-equalling fifth star and Toulouse, whose record they are bidding to equal, stand in their way in a re-run of last season’s semi-final.
The Irish province will be hoping for a similar performance to the one they produced at the Aviva Stadium on that day, which saw them claim a stunning 40-17 victory.
Leinster crushed Leicester Tigers 55-24 in the quarter-finals in the latest demonstration of their immense quality, but Toulouse have been typically strong themselves, powering to a 54-20 success over Cell C Sharks to reach the semi-finals.
A plethora of stars are set to be on show as the two heavyweight sides go head-to-head, including a number of EPCR Player of the Year nominees.
Leinster boast the likes of flanker Josh van der Flier, back-row forward Caelan Doris and centre Garry Ringrose, but Toulouse have world-class talent of their own in hooker Julien Marchand, lock Emmanuel Meafou and scrum-half Antoine Dupont.
In the other semi-final, Exeter will need to overturn a La Rochelle side who recorded a commanding 24-10 quarter-final victory over their Gallagher Premiership rivals Saracens.
Exeter will be buoyed by their 42-17 thrashing of DHL Stormers in the quarter-finals, but the reigning champions will pose an almighty test at the Matmut ATLANTIQUE.
The travelling side will hope to book a place in the final and give a number of their departing 2020 heroes the perfect send-off, with flanker Dave Ewers, No.8 Sam Simmonds, fly-half Joe Simmonds and full-back Stuart Hogg among those playing their final campaign with the Sandy Park outfit.
La Rochelle, gunning for back-to-back titles, will be led by EPCR Player of the Year nominee Grégory Alldritt once again, with lock Will Skelton, centre Jonathan Danty and the versatile Levani Botia among their array of elite options.
