If the sparks fly between Leinster and Northampton on Saturday, it's unlikely that Fin Smith and Sam Prendergast will be the instigators.
The two young men have history, but unlike the some of the rivalries between Irish out-halves, it’s all friendly fire between the 22-year-olds.
Smith, who will hope his Saints side can upset the odds at Aviva Stadium and book a first Investec Champions Cup final since 2011, faced off at Under-20s level against Ireland when the teams met in the 2022 Summer Series in Italy.
With minutes to go, Smith’s cross-kick set up what he hoped was a winning try but Prendergast’s long-range penalty (below) stole a late victory for Richie Murphy’s side.
Smith said: "It's funny, I played against him as a 19-year-old, I think I was, and he was 18, for the Under-20s, and he kicked a penalty late on in the game from 50 out to get the game over the line for them.
"I didn't actually know much about him at that time but since then I've obviously sort of kept an eye on him and we've stayed in touch very loosely and always sort of wished each other well.
"He messaged me after the [semi-final] at Croke Park last year and sort of said, 'well done today, sorry I didn’t get to see you, all the best for the rest of the season'.
"Then, actually caught up with him just after England had played Ireland [in the Six Nations], just had a brief chat at the bar and I said well done today, chatting about stuff that fly-halves chat about.
"I’ve got a lot of respect for him, I’d like to say he does likewise. It’s not a hostile relationship but we both want to win, don’t we, so we’ll see."
The duo have taken similar paths to the top of the game. Smith played his first professional game aged 18, for Worcester, while Prendergast was impressing at underage levels.
Kildare man Prendergast excelled at U20s, winning two Grand Slams. He made his Leinster debut in April 2023 and since last November has been first choice for club and country.
Smith came on as a replacement when Ireland beat England in the Six Nations, missing a head-to-head with Prendergast, who had been subbed off a few minutes earlier, but subsequently started the next four games, usurping Marcus Smith and George Ford.
"He's brilliant, isn't he?" continues Smith of his Lions rival ahead of the rematch of last season's semi-final, which Leinster won 20-17.
"Since he's sort of taken to professional rugby, he's not really put a foot wrong.
"He's an unbelievable game-manager, plays the space really well. He's a real triple threat: run, kick, pass, and he just seems like a real calm customer."
The out-half battle may be evenly matched but Leinster, beaten finalists in the last three seasons, would appear to have the upper hand in most other areas of the pitch.
They’ve arrived at this point off the back of big knock-out wins over Harlequins, 62-0, and Glasgow, 52-0.
Phil Dowson believes that last year's Croke Park clash will "hold us in good stead" as Northampton take on Leinster on Saturday in the Champions Cup semi-finals. #rterugby pic.twitter.com/Rrjq7dBErA
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) April 29, 2025
However, both the English and Scottish sides gave the distinct impression they didn't believe they could win.
Smith says the Saints, last season’s Premiership champions, won’t go down the same way.
"It's so much easier to say than to do it, but there's no point going over to play the best team in Europe and not firing a shot," said Smith, whose side beat Clermont and Castres in the knock-outs.
"Like, we'd rather die trying, and be seen to do the right things and have a crack, rather than just sort of let the game flow.
"Ultimately, when that happens, they're probably the team that's likely to come out on top.
"In terms of relishing it, like 100%, these are the games you remember for a long time.
"They're also the games where you learn the most about yourself, whether that's, I don't know, how you stand up in big pressure moments or any sort of technical areas you need to get better at, or even what you're good at.
"I love these weeks because you find out the most about yourself.
"It's a real sort of honest test rehearsal of where you're at. So yeah, it should be good."
Watch the Champions Cup semi-final, Leinster v Northampton Saints, on Saturday from 4.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
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