Investec Champions Cup: Northampton Saints dealt blow as captain Lewis Ludlam ruled out of semi-final clash at Leinster
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Published 03/05/2024 at 19:35 GMT+1
Northampton Saints will be without their captain Lewis Ludlam for the Investec Champions Cup semi-final against Leinster at Croke Park after he injured his shoulder in the Gallagher Premiership defeat to Harlequins last week. Ollie Sleightholme also misses out with a head knock, with director of rugby Phil Dowson ringing the changes. Watch all the action live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Highlights: Northampton battle past Munster thanks to late Hendy double
Northampton Saints captain Lewis Ludlam will miss the Investec Champions Cup semi-final against Leinster at Croke Park through injury.
The Englishman, who is set to leave at the end of the season for French Top 14 side Toulon, took a knock to his shoulder in the Saints’ 41-32 defeat to Harlequins in the Gallagher Premiership last week.
Northampton will also be without in-form winger Ollie Sleightholme, who suffered a head injury against Quins.
Sam Graham moves to openside flanker to fill the hole left by Ludlam, with Juarno Augustus coming into the starting XV at No. 8 and Courtney Lawes taking the armband.
Augustus is one of five changes to the pack, with prop Alex Waller, hooker Curtis Langdon and second-rows Alex Moon and Alex Coles all getting the nod.
In the backs, George Hendy returns to the starting line-up in place of Sleightholme, while Fraser Dingwall joins Tommy Freeman to form an attacking centre pairing.
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Highlights: Harlequins secure win over Northampton in high-scoring encounter
The game at Croke Park, which is live on TNT Sports and discovery+, is set to draw in upwards of 82,000 fans and is the first last-four clash of the weekend, with Toulouse taking on Harlequins on Sunday.
Phil Dowson’s Northampton are top of the Gallagher Premiership and are unbeaten in Europe this season as they look to complete a rare double.
The last time the Saints won the Champions Cup was at the end of the 1999/2000 season, while they haven’t lifted the domestic title since 2014.
Leinster, meanwhile, are four-time winners of the Champions Cup and are aiming to reach a third final in a row.
They were beaten by La Rochelle in 2022 and 2023 but went some way to avenging those defeats by knocking out the French Top 14 side in the quarter-finals.
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Highlights: Leinster end La Rochelle's Champions Cup defence with dominant win
Head coach Leo Cullen has made two changes to that side. Jason Jenkins drops to the bench in favour of Ross Molony, who starts alongside Joe McCarthy in the second row, while Josh van der Flier comes in at openside flanker for Will Connors.
Caelan Doris captains the host side, which is packed with star quality. Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong form a formidable front row, while the backline is littered with talent despite the absence of both Garry Ringrose and Hugo Keenan.
Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park has been one of the standout performers of the tournament, as has winger James Lowe, who is part of a back three with Jordan Larmour on the other wing and Ciaran Frawley at full-back.
Ross Byrne starts at fly-half, with Jamie Osborne and Robbie Henshaw in the midfield.
Catch all the action, as well as expert reaction and analysis, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Leinster v Northampton Saints line-ups
Leinster: Frawley; Larmour, Henshaw, Osborne, Lowe; R Byrne, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Molony, McCarthy, Baird, Van der Flier, Doris (C).
Replacements: Kelleher, Healy, Ala'alatoa, Jenkins, Conan, McGrath, H Byrne, O'Brien.
Northampton Saints: Furbank; Ramm, Freeman, Dingwall, Hendy; Smith, Mitchell; Waller, Langdon, Davison, Moon, Coles, Lawes (C), Graham, Augustus.
Replacements: Matavesi, Iyogun, Millar-Mills, Mayanavanua, Scott-Young, James, Litchfield, Seabrook.
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