British and Irish Lions hopefuls Sam Prendergast and Fin Smith, Josh van der Flier and Henry Pollock and Jamison Gibson-Park and Alex Mitchell will go head-to-head in this weekend’s Champions Cup semi-final.

But, head coach Leo Cullen has benched in-form Jordie Barrett and Andrew Porter for the clash at the Aviva, with Robbie Henshaw and Cian Healy preferred in the starting XV. Barrett has not played since their 52-0 drubbing of Glasgow in the previous round.

Leinster bring big guns out for semi-final clash

For Leinster, Hugo Keenan once again starts at full-back, with Tommy O’Brien and James Lowe named on the wings. Garry Ringrose starts at 13 alongside the aforementioned Henshaw, while Gibson-Park and Prendergast again start in the halves.

Up front, Caelan Doris leads the side from number eight, with van der Flier and Max Deegan on the flanks. James McCarthy partners returning Springboks star RG Snyman in the locks, and Tadhg Furlong and Dan Sheehan start alongside Healy in the front-row.

On the bench, Barrett and Porter are joined by Ronan Kelleher, Rabbah Slimani, Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Luke McGrath and Ross Byrne.

Leinster legend warns Henry Pollock over putting ‘target on his own back’ as Northampton eye ‘greatest win’ in their history

Northampton have also named as strong a side as they can; however are unable to call upon the likes of George Furbank and Ollie Sleightholme.

James Ramm has been given the nod at 15, with Tommy Freeman and Tom Litchfield on the wings. Fraser Dingwall leads the side from 13, with Rory Hutchinson alongside him at 12. Smith and Mitchell once again partner in the halves.

Up front, South African powerhouse Juarno Augustus starts at eight, with Pollock and Josh Kemeny starting on the flanks. Alex Coles and Temo Mayanavanua start in the engine room, with Trevor Davison, Curtis Langdon and Emmanuel Iyogun named in the front-row. 

Champions Cup: ‘New kid on the block’ set for biggest British and Irish Lions test while prolific French wingers threaten Toulouse’s crown

Tom James is in-line to make his 100th appearance for the club off the bench, and is one of just two backs as Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson adopts a 6:2 split.

Leinster v Northampton Saints team news in full

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 (c), 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 Rabbah 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 (c), 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

Venue: Aviva Stadium
Kick-off: 17:30 (GMT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (Fra)
Assistant referees: Luc Ramos (Fra) and Gianluca Gnecchi (Ita)
TMO: Tual Trainini (Fra)
Broadcasters: RTE, Premier Sports, beIN SPORTS, FloRugby, SuperSport

READ MORE: ‘I need to perform’ – Fin Smith raring for Leinster ‘Test match’ in final British and Irish Lions audition

Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/leinster-v-northampton-saints-teams-rg-snyman-returns-but-jordie-barrett-benched-as-british-and-irish-lions-hopefuls-collide-in-champions-cup-semi-final