| Home team | Leinster |
| Away team | Lions |
| Venue | Aviva Stadium |
| Competition | URC |
| Kick off time | 5:30 pm |
| Watch Live in the UK | Premier Sports |
Leinster vs Lions URC preview as the sides meet at the Aviva Stadium in a crucial game.
The Lions and Leinster are level on 53 points with two games to go. A win in this match would secure either side a place in the top eight and would also be crucial for securing a place in the top four. The losing side could be caught by teams as low as seventh.
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Leinster vs Lions confirmed lineups and team news
| Leinster | Lions | ||||
| Forwards | |||||
| 1 | Kotze | ||||
| 2 | Botha | ||||
| 3 | Ntlabakanye | ||||
| 4 | Oosthuizen | ||||
| 5 | Nothnagel | ||||
| 6 | Mahashe | ||||
| 7 | Venter | ||||
| 8 | Horn | ||||
| Backs | |||||
| 9 | Van Der Berg | ||||
| 10 | Smith | ||||
| 11 | A Davids | ||||
| 12 | Kriel | ||||
| 13 | Van Wyk | ||||
| 14 | Cronje | ||||
| 15 | Horn | ||||
| Replacements | |||||
| 16 | Marias | ||||
| 17 | E Davids | ||||
| 18 | Lombard | ||||
| 19 | Landsberg | ||||
| 20 | Hlekani | ||||
| 21 | Pretorius | ||||
| 22 | Steyn | ||||
| 23 | Mpeku | ||||
Recent Form:
Leinster (Home team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Won | 2nd May 2026 | Champions Cup | Toulon | 29-25 |
| Loss | 25th April 2026 | URC | Benetton | 29-26 |
| Won | 18th April 2026 | URC | Ulster | 21-29 |
| Won | 11th April 2026 | Champions Cup | Sale Sharks | 43-19 |
| Won | 5th April 2026 | Champions Cup | Edinburgh | 49-31 |
Leinster have won five out of their last six games with their only defeat coming in the shock loss to Benetton in the last round of the URC. In their last game they booked a place in the Champions Cup final with a 29-25 win over Toulon. The game was pretty tight at 14-11 at half-time. Leinster scored two tries and a penalty without conceding to take a comfortable lead. Despite two late scores for Toulon. Leinster held on to win.
Lions (Away team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Won | 25th April 2026 | URC | Connacht | 33-21 |
| Won | 18th April 2026 | URC | Glasgow | 54-12 |
| Won | 28th March 2026 | URC | Dragons | 42-26 |
| Won | 21st March 2026 | URC | Edinburgh | 54-17 |
| Won | 28th February | URC | Stormers | 24-10 |
The Lions are the most in-form team in the league with six wins in a row. All six of these games have been at home. In the last round, they picked up a big 33-21 win over Connacht. The game was dominated by the Lions, who were winning 33-7 with just over five minutes to go.
Leinster vs Lions head-to-head record (last four matches):
| Date | Competition | Winner | Score |
| 26th October 2024 | URC | Leinster | 24-6 |
| 20th April 2024 | URC | Lions | 44-12 |
| 15th April 2023 | URC | Leinster | 36-39 |
| 25th February 2022 | URC | Leinster | 21-13 |
Leinster and the Lions have met four times since the South African sides joined the URC. Leinster have won three of the four meetings, and the home team has won three of the four meetings.
