Northampton Saints star Fin Smith on Leinster Rugby semi-final, British & Irish Lions and Henry Pollock

Fin Smith celebrates with Henry Pollock after scoring a try during the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 match between Northampton Saints and ASM Clermont Auvergne. Getty Images.

Northampton Saints are set to face Leinster Rugby once again at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final - marking their second consecutive clash at this stage of the competition.

After narrowly losing by just three points in last year's encounter, Saints will no doubt be drawing motivation from a determined second-half comeback that nearly turned the tide.

Fin Smith, who played in that semi-final, is optimistic about Northampton’s chances this time around. He also backs teammate Henry Pollock to earn the Investec Player of the Year title and potentially secure a spot on this summer’s British & Irish Lions tour.

While Saints are on a stellar run of form in this year’s Investec Champions Cup, they’ll have to overcome a formidable Leinster side if they are to make their first final since 2011, where they lost out to the Dubliners after an historic comeback. Trailing 22-6 at half-time, Leinster Rugby stormed back to defeat Northampton Saints 33-22.

Armed not only with painful memories of three straight final losses, the Irish giants have been relishing in the addition of RG Snyman and Jordie Barrett this season – mental and physical threats Smith is all too aware of pre-match.

“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.”

But faced with a mammoth task at hand, Smith is confident that his side can bring the level required to pass the test. “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.”

If a place in a first Investec Champions Cup final for Smith wasn’t enough to throw into the mix, the ongoing noise of a potential British & Irish Lions call-up also reaches its climax this weekend.

With one game left ahead of Andy Farrell’s selection announcement on 8 May, Smith’s battle with fellow contender Sam Prendergast on Saturday could prove pivotal to the squad selection.

“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,” Smith explained. “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.”

Another youngster who’s in with a shout of a spot on the plane this summer is breakout back row Pollock. And with six tries under his belt in this year’s Investec Champions Cup, the 20-year-old won’t be short of belief that he deserves a place in the 37-man squad, according to the flyhalf.

“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.”

Having witnessed first-hand the impact Pollock can have on a game, Smith made no bones about how far his teammate can go.

“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.”

If this weekend’s semi-final is the last chance for Smith and Pollock to show what they’re capable of in the ongoing Lions debate, the latter is also in with a shout of more personal accolades this season, as a nominee for the Investec Player of the Year.

Going on to speak about Pollock’s credentials for the Investec Player of the Year award, the flyhalf was full of confidence for his teammate: “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.”

Only time will tell how well Pollock and Smith will block out all the noise around them and if Northampton Saints can overhaul the Irish this weekend. Tickets are still available for the eagerly anticipated semi-final in Dublin with fans encouraged to bring their voices and support their clubs.