image source, Getty Images
Investec Champions Cup Semi-Finals
venue: croke park, dublin date: Saturday, May 4th time: 17:30 BST
coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. Live text updates on his website and app on BBC Sport.
Northampton Saints captain Lewis Ludlum will miss Saturday's Investec Champions Cup semi-final against Leinster due to a shoulder injury.
Flanker Courtney Lawes captained Saints at Croke Park, with Olly Slightholm also absent with concussion.
Sam Graham moves to openside flanker, with No. 8 Juano Augustus joining the team that lost to Harlequins at Twickenham last weekend.
Winger Slightholm, who has been a regular starter this season, scored a try in Northampton's resounding victory against the South African Bulls in the quarter-finals.
Despite the loss of Slightholm, England full-back George Furbank forms an exciting back three with James Lamb and the returning George Hendy.
This means Tommy Freeman, who played as a winger for England in the Six Nations, will form a midfield partnership with Fraser Dingwall.
Frawley and Osborne start again
Leinster's Ciaran Frawley and Jamie Osborne will both start for Ireland with injury problems, but Ireland center Garry Ringrose and full-back Hugo Keenan are once again absent.
Frawley and Osborne will continue to play full-back and inside center after impressing in Leinster's quarter-final win over defending champions La Rochelle.
In the absence of co-captains James Ryan and Ringrose, Caelan Doris will take over as team captain from No. 8.
Last year's runners-up team made two changes to their quarter-final starting lineup as Ross Moloney and Josh van der Flier both return.
Flanker Will Connors was selected ahead of Van der Flier in the quarter-finals, leaving lock Jason Jenkins on the bench and removed from the matchday squad.
In positive injury news, utility back Jimmy O'Brien is back among the substitutes after recovering from the neck injury that ruled the 27-year-old out of the Six Nations.
Both teams have won all six games in this tournament, with convincing wins in the last eight.
However, Northampton have only won one of their last 10 meetings with Leinster.
lineup
Leinster: Frawley; Larmore, Henshaw, Osborne, Lowe. R. Byrne, Gibson Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Moloney, McCarthy, Baird, Van der Flier, Doris (Capt.).
Replacement: Kelleher, Healy, Araratoa, Jenkins, Conan, McGrath, H. Byrne, O'Brien.
Northampton: Furbank. Lamb, Freeman, Dingwall, Hendy. Smith, Mitchell. Waller, Langdon, Davison, Moon, Coles, Rose (captain), Graham, Augustus.
Replacement: Matabesi, Iyogun, Miller Mills, Mayana Vanua, Scott Young, James, Litchfield, Seabrook.
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
