Fin Smith on Leinster, Henry Pollock and his Lions 1-on-1 with Sam Prendergast

As Northampton Saints will return to the Aviva Stadium this Saturday to face Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final, fly-half Fin Smith is a man that knows he needs to perform.

The Saints lost by three points in the same fixture in 2024, giving Leinster a serious scare at Croke Park. Smith believes his side have since matured and are now better equipped for the challenge than ever.

“Leinster are in a league of their own,” he said. “There probably aren’t many games we’ve played since last year’s semi-final that’s going to prepare us for Leinster this weekend. They’re unbelievable.”

“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.”

Smith is widely tipped for Lions honours this summer but his showdown with Ireland fly-half Sam Prendergast has been billed as a final audition for the two standoffs ahead of the tour Down Under.

Fixture

Investec Champions Cup

Leinster

34 - 37

Full-time

Northampton

All Stats and Data

“A call-up would be the pinnacle. I’ve always said that in my rugby career my number one would be winning a World Cup, closely followed up by a Lions tour.

“I’m under no illusion that this is a big, big game, as close as you’re going to get for that tour in the summer, so I need to perform.”

Smith is also backing teammate Henry Pollock to not only shine in Dublin but stake a claim for the British & Irish Lions.

Pollock, 20, has scored six tries in this season’s competition and is also nominated for Investec Player of the Year.

“He’s licking his lips this weekend – the bigger the occasion, the bigger his performance is,” he said. “He’s an ambitious guy, Pollock. I imagine he’d want to be on that tour as much as anyone, and he’ll have a certain belief that he’s good enough to be there.”

“He’s been amazing. He’s given us a lot of energy. His work at the breakdown is one of the best in the competition, his carry metres too,” Smith said. “He’s got a very underrated trait of being in the right place, at the right time. He reads the game really well for someone who’s not played a load of professional games. He’s been massive for us and deserves all the accolades and credit he’s getting.”

“With a couple more good performances, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up winning it. I’d say he deserves everything he’s getting.”

A limited number of tickets are still available for the game.