Champions Cup and Challenge Cup semi-finals: Fixtures, Where to Watch and Previews 

European rugby is well and truly back, with the semi-finals of both major competitions in continental rugby taking place over the weekend. 

Both games will be played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, and the aim for all eight teams is the same, get there at all costs. 

With the Champions Cup being the premier competition, it is expected that these games will be played more like Test matches, with quality in abundance. 

But make no mistake, the Challenge Cup games will be equally interesting to watch, and with the Premiership leaders playing, it has still managed to keep plenty of quality. 

Here is a preview of all four games, including where to watch them. 

Leinster v Northampton Saints 

The first Champions Cup weekend will take place on Saturday, with a 17:50 kick-off time at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. 

This game is arguably the most one-sided of them all, with URC side Leinster expected to add Northampton Saints to the long list of teams that they have convincingly beaten in Dublin during this European campaign. 

With a squad that is effectively the Ireland national team, put alongside talent from abroad such as RG Snyman and Jordie Barrett, it really feels like they are unstoppable. 

Their previous knockout games against Harlequins and Glasgow Warriors ended with 62-0 and 52-0 scorelines, and with Saints in worse form than those two clubs were when they faced Leinster, they will be fearing the worst. 

Although this season has been poor for Northampton’s standards, with them sitting seventh in the Premiership, they still have effectively the same squad who won the Prem title last season, so clearly if everyone is firing then they can do some damage. 

Another positive is the fact that their hopes of finishing in the top four in the league were over months ago, so they have had plenty of time to prepare and build themselves up for European occasions. 

Saints beat Clermont Auvergne and Castres Olympique in comfortable fashion to get to this point, both by over 20 points. 

The English club will have to be at their title-winning best if they are to give themselves a chance, but with a Champions Cup final up for grabs, they may well rise to the occasion. 

It will be shown on Premier Sports 1 for those in the UK, with RTE 2 hosting it for those based in Ireland. 

Bordeaux Begles v Stade Toulousain 

It is a mouthwatering clash at the Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux, as two French giants will go toe-to-toe for a place in the final. 

Both occupy the first and second places in the Top 14 right now, with the visitors currently sitting ten points clear at the top of the table. 

With home advantage though, Bordeaux will very much fancy their chances. 

Bordeaux have had the better of Toulouse this season, with a 16-12 win away earlier on in the campaign, and a 32-24 home victory at the end of March.  

Despite this, Toulouse are seen as the team with the most quality and depth and will consider themselves to be favourites for this one. 

Toulouse’s European pedigree

Toulouse’s European pedigree far outweighs anyone else in the competition too, with them having won the trophy a record six times, including winning last year against Leinster. 

It often seems like they are a team for big occasions, and there is no occasion bigger than a semi final of a European competition. 

Begles have beaten two Irish sides, Ulster and Munster, in the previous knockout rounds, scoring over 40 points in each but conceding an average of 30. 

Those results sum up the way that Yannick Bru has his team play, lots of attacking quality but sometimes slightly weak defensively. It is both their biggest attribute and their biggest weakness. 

Toulouse were made to work for both of their knockout wins, seeing off Sale Sharks by over 20 points after a valiant effort from the Manchester club that saw them leading at half time. 

But where they really showed their credentials was in the quarter final win against fellow Top 14 side Toulon. Not at their best, in rainy conditions, away from home, they rallied together and managed to win the game with a last-minute penalty kick from Thomas Ramos. 

That win truly felt like a title-winning one, and they showed that whatever the circumstances, they are simply a game-winning machine. 

It will be available to watch on Premier Sports 1 in the UK, with a 15:00 kick off. 

Edinburgh v Bath 

An all-British clash kicks off the Challenge Cup semis, as Edinburgh host Bath at the Hive Stadium. 

While the competition is often looked down upon in the early rounds and is sometimes seen as a means for rotation, with silverware on the line, teams will be taking this extremely seriously. 

Bath are on the hunt for a rare treble in rugby, having already won the Premiership Rugby Cup and sitting top of the Premiership table. 

Johann van Graan has got his Bath team playing some outstanding rugby, while maintaining the powerful play in the forwards that has brought them success so far this season. 

Edinburgh have seen off two South African sides on their way to this stage, beating the Lions and Bulls 24-12 and 34-28, both at home. 

The Blue, Black and Whites were a bit more dominant in their wins, beating Section Paloise 49-24 away and Gloucester 61-26 at The Rec. 

With top of the Premiership already secured with three games to go, Bath don’t have much to play for right now so can put their full focus into Europe, whilst Edinburgh currently sit outside of the top eight in the URC by only two points. 

You can watch this game on Premier Sports 2 in the UK. 

Lyon v Racing 92 

Like in the Champions Cup, one game is URC v Premiership, and the other is fully Top 14. 

This can be considered the closest tie of all four, as currently only three points separate them in mid table of the Top 14, with Lyon three points better off than the Paris club. 

What makes it even closer is the fact that they have only played each other once this season, and that game ended in a 25-25 draw. 

Neither have been as good as they may have hoped in league rugby, but have managed to secure some pretty impressive wins in Europe to get to this point. 

Racing battled to away victories against Perpignan and Connacht, the latter coming after playing with 14 men for most of the game following a red card. 

Meanwhile, Lyon beat Sharks at home and Ospreys away, the win in Wales going right down to the wire with a two-point victory after Dan Edwards missed a late conversion. 

This game will be held at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, with a 12:30 kick-off on Sunday. It will be shown live on Premier Sports 1. 

READ MORE: British and Irish Lions stock risers and fallers: Taulupe Faletau rolls back years to put himself in contention