Having defeated La Rochelle 29-17 in a fiercely-contested quarter-final on Good Friday, Scarlets are set for their first European Rugby Champions Cup semi-final since 2007 and will be hoping to reach the final for the first time in their history.
Their opponents Leinster are no strangers to the Champions Cup having won Europe’s premier club competition three times.
Leo Cullen’s overcame Saracens – winners of the competition in their last two seasons – in their Champions quarter-final with a resounding 30-19 victory in Dublin.
The Irish side are currently unbeaten in Europe this season and will pose a tough challenge for Wayne Pivac’s Scarlets, something the head coach is all too aware of.
Pivac said: “It will be a massive occasion and a massive challenge against a very, very good Leinster side.
“They were very good against Saracens. The try they scored at the start of the game shows what they can do. Some of their defence was outstanding and the line-out drives they stopped were amazing.
“They’ve improved from last year. Stuart Lancaster has been there for a few years and he’s added a lot to the side.
“When I watched a British Lions loosehead [Cian Healy] come off and then another one [Jack McGrath] come on, it shows the depth they have.
“You go through the side and there’s quality right across the board. They’ve built that side up over time and they are a pleasure to watch.”
Pivac also joked about the fact his team’s semi-final is being played at the Aviva Stadium rather than the RDS Arena where Leinster play the majority of their home games.
“Technically it’s not a home fixture for them, it’s about half a mile away,” he laughed. “They’ve played there four times this year and their internationals play there 10 times a season. It’s not their home ground, but it’s not far off.
“We’d play them in the car park if that’s where we had to play them. We are in a semi-final and we are so happy to be there.”
Scarlets will face Leinster at 3.30pm in Dublin while earlier in the day at 1pm,
In the earlier 1pm kick off, Cardiff Blues face Pau in their European Challenge Cup semi-final following a gutsy performance to beat Edinburgh in the last round on Saturday.
The Blues will have home advantage with the tie set to be played at Cardiff Arms Park.
