After 32 matches and hundreds of points scored there are just four teams remaining in this year's LV Cup Competition; the Exeter Chiefs, Saracens, the Northampton Saints and the Leicester Tigers. This week Luther Burrell shared with Nick Heath (@RugbyMedia) at Pennyhill Park the importance of the competition and looked forwards towards his side's Semi Final tomorrow;
The matches between Saracens and the Northampton Saints are always feisty affairs for there is little love lost between the two sides. Saracens have enjoyed a clean sweep in the competition to date having brushed aside, Harlequins, the Ospreys, London Welsh and most recently the Exeter Chiefs. The Northampton Saints don't share the record of a clean sweep having lost to the Leicester Tigers in a heated East Midlands Derby in January however their final outing was a comprehensive victory over Wasps. Both sides have played sublime rugby during the course of the competition and both have named tremendously talented squads to take on this fixture. Saracens' Ben Spencer has been excelling at Scrum Half and watching him and Kahn Fotuali'i go head to head will be delightful. The Northampton Saints will look towards the collective physicality of their forwards to impose themselves and provide the platform for their game and their front row of Corbisiero, Haywood and Ma’afu will challenge Saracens. From one to fifteen the positional match ups are enthralling and it has the makings of being one of the best matches of this year’s LV Cup competition. 
On Sunday afternoon the second Semi Final takes place at Welford Road where the Leicester Tigers will host the Exeter Chiefs. Leicester, like Saracens, won all four of their group matches whilst the Chiefs only lost to Saracens. Last year the Exeter Chiefs picked up their first ever piece of silverware thanks to the LV competition and they have their eyes firmly on the target of making it two in a row. For the home side Tommy Bell has been flourishing in the competition after he signed from Jersey, last time out he scored a try and two conversions from Full Back and this weekend at 10 he’ll have even more of an opportunity to influence the game. The man wearing the opposite 10 jersey is Ceri Sweeny, the Chiefs’ Captain and the 35 year old has a number of experienced men with him including Moray Low, Kai Horstmann and Haydn Thomas. Exactly like the game in London this should be an exciting fixture and competitive affair. Home advantage could be an influencing factor in proceedings however the Chiefs have to keep their heads and stick to their game plan of playing positive, inventive rugby.
These two knock out fixtures of the LV Cup should deliver us with some scintillating rugby of the domestic variety alongside the International action this weekend. The competition continues to provide an all important platform for squad members and younger members of our domestic clubs’ academies to shine and this weekend the intensity will notch up a level as only two sides can make it through to the final at Franklin’s Gardens next Sunday afternoon.
