Champions Cup quarter-final preview: Leinster v Saracens
By Robert Mulhern
Last Updated: 01/04/18 3:30pm
With players on both sides colliding in the Six Nations, Sunday's heavyweight Champions Cup match-up between Leinster and Saracens (kick-off 3.30pm) is hotly anticipated.
Defending champions Saracens and former champions Leinster have never met in the knockout stages of European competition. Leinster, back-boned by players from Ireland's Grand Slam winning squad, completed a clean sweep of pool wins to finish as top seeds, while Saracens squeezed into the quarter-finals as the eighth and last seed.
Form
Sky Sports Rugby previews the fixture...
Leinster LWWDL
Leinster proved imperious in the pool stages. Unbeatable and producing a level of performance that set a high watermark for the rest of Europe to follow.
Under coaches Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster, the competition favourites coasted to a top seed finish and while they stuttered in their last PRO14 outing, they will welcome their returning Grand Slam winners for a tie expected to be high on intensity.
Interestingly, Scott Fardy has been named at blindside flanker after Sean O'Brien missed a late fitness test.
Saracens WWLLW
Saracens just nicked the final qualifying spot after the final round of pool games but they certainly don't possess the aura of weak qualifiers.
Last year's European champions are stacked with quality from Maro Itoje to George Kruis, and Owen Farrell to Jamie George.
In fact, the contest has an unshakeable feel of being the club equivalent of Ireland's Six Nations battle with England. And unlike earlier in the season, the English side do feel like a team of improving performance.
Most recent outing
Ospreys 32-18 Leinster
It was the first time Ospreys had beaten the Irish province in their last five attempts.
Ospreys' tries came through Evans' double, Tom Habberfield and Justin Tipuric, with Dan Biggar kicking 12 points. Leinster's two tries were scored by Barry Daly and Rory O'Loughlin.
Saracens 24-11 Harlequins
Saracens returned to winning ways in the Aviva Premiership as they saw off Harlequins 24-11 in their first game at the London Stadium.
Tries from returning internationals Liam Williams and Maro Itoje, plus 14 points from the boot of Alex Lozowski, proved the difference.
Despite Owen Farrell and George Kruis being unavailable, Saracens were able to call on six of their international heavyweights following the conclusion of the Six Nations.
Last meeting
Leinster 43-20 Saracens, 2011 Heineken Cup
Leinster outclassed Saracens with a ruthless second-half performance to book their place in the 2011 Heineken Cup quarter-finals.
Saracens were only 22-12 adrift at half-time, turning around with the advantage of a blustery wind, but tries from Fergus McFadden, Isa Nacewa and Eoin O'Malley eased Leinster away.
In a free-flowing first half, man-of-the-match Sean O'Brien and Dominic Ryan (two) touched down for the hosts, with James Short and Kelly Brown crossing for Sarries.
Key player
Leinster - Johnny Sexton: The architect of Ireland's Grand Slam has engineered so many big-day Leinster performances that Blues' fans have come to expect them as a given.
For Leinster, Sexton has somehow added to the high standards he sets himself and has come to embody the team to the point that it's almost impossible to imagine one without the other.
But in his opposite number, he faces a personal test of the highest grading in Owen Farrell.
Saracens - Owen Farrell: His influence has almost been as telling at Saracens where he consistently produces stellar performances.
England didn't see the same consistency of brilliance, but if there's a bite-back from that Grand Slam defeat in the form of this European tie, then expect the fly-half to lead it.
Pre-match thoughts
Leinster - Leo Cullen: "You think of the quality Saracens have and their record in the last couple of seasons, they're the team we're all trying to chase and aspiring to get to that level.
"There's been a huge amount of working going on here in the last couple of seasons to get us to a situation where we're in a game against Saracens. Because they're the team we've all been trying to chase."
Saracens - Schalk Burger: "We're travelling to Dublin for a new challenge this weekend against a Leinster side who play some really good football and have dominated Europe quite easily if you look at the pool.
"We have to embrace the challenge and we're looking forward to playing at the Aviva which is a phenomenal stadium."
Team news
Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Isa Nacewa, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Luke McGrath, 1 Cian Healy, 2 Sean Cronin, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 Devin Toner, 5 James Ryan, 6 Scott Fardy, 7 Dan Leavy, 8 Jordi Murphy
Replacements: 16 James Tracy, 17 Jack McGrath,18 Andrew Porter, 19 Rhys Ruddock, 20 Max Deegan, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Joey Carbery, 23 Rory O'Loughlin
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Liam Williams, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Sean Maitland 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Richard Wigglesworth,1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Jamie George, 3 Juan Figallo, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Kruis, 6 Nick Isiekwe, 7 Schalk Burger, 8 Jackson Wray
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Titi Lamositele, 19 Dom Day, 20 Blair Cowan, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Alex Lozowski, 23 Chris Wyles