2000: Leinster Rugby 40 Northampton Saints 31

Northampton surrendered the Heineken Cup with this Pool 1 defeat in Donnybrook, despite opening up an 18-point lead in the first 19 minutes.

In that period Grant Seely and Allan Bateman scored tries, but Gordon D'Arcy touched down for the home side and after Northampton increased their lead with a Jon Phillips try, Leinster cut the Saints’ half-time advantage to 25-17 with a Dennis Hickie score.

It was all Leinster after the break as they completed back-to-back victories over Northampton following the previous week’s 14-8 success at Franklin’s Gardens, D'Arcy scoring twice to complete a hat-trick of tries.

2013: Leinster Rugby 9 Northampton Saints 18

Northampton totally erased the memory of their 40-7 home humbling by Leinster the previous weekend by stunning the Irish province with their only win to date over them and denying them a bonus point in the Pool 1 clash.

The Saints showed they meant business with George North’s converted try after only five minutes. Although Ian Madigan reduced the deficit to 7-6 with two penalties, a Stephen Myler penalty and Kahn Fotuali’i drop-goal lifted Northampton 13-9 clear.

Leinster captain Jamie Heaslip streaked clear in the last minute, but dropped the ball and Jamie Elliott swooped to run nearly the length of the field to score.

2016: Leinster Rugby 60 Northampton Saints 13

This was a classic for all the wrong reasons for Northampton as they suffered a record European defeat against lethal Leinster, who ran in nine tries in this Pool 4 encounter at the Aviva Stadum.

Amazingly, a breakaway Ken Pisi try left Northampton 13-5 up at one stage, but Adam Byrne's second try and scores from Luke McGrath and Sean O'Brien saw Leinster stretch 29-13 ahead by the break.

Tadhg Furlong, Sean Cronin, Isa Nacewa (2) and Rory O'Loughlin added further tries in the second half as Northampton capitulated.

As we prepare to relive the dramatic 2011 European Cup final between Leinster Rugby and Northampton Saints on Saturday in the second part of our Heineken Champions Cup Rewind series, we look back at three other classic encounters between the pair.