Perpignan, the 2003 finalists, are the only 2011 semi-final team not to have won the Heineken Cup. Between them Toulouse (4), Leinster and Northampton Saints (1 each) have won the title in six of the 15 tournament finals.
• Toulouse are appearing in a record 10th Heineken Cup semi-final - one more than former double winners and current Amlin Challenge Cup semi-finalists Munster. Leinster are there for the sixth time while Northampton Saints and Perpignan are both in the last four for the third time.
• Northampton Saints are attempting to become the first team to go unbeaten through a tournament with nine out of nine wins. Since the introduction of the home and away format in 1997 / 1998 none of the other clubs - Leinster (twice), London Wasps, Bath Rugby, Biarritz Olympique, the Scarlets and Cardiff Blues - who had won all their Pool matches went on to make it nine from nine and lift the trophy.
• No player has scored a hat-trick of tries in the 30 semi-finals played so far. Two players have scored braces, Christophe Juillet for Stade Francais Paris against Ulster Rugby at Ravenhill in the 1998/99 semi-finals and Paul Sackey for London Wasps in their Ricoh Arena last four meeting with Northampton Saints in the 2006/07 tournament.
• Both semi-final venues - stadium:mk in Milton Keynes and the Aviva Stadium in Dublin - are staging their first Heineken Cup semi-final matches.
• The 2008/09 semi-finals had the greatest combined attendance of 126,420 when the ties were played at Croke Park (Munster v Leinster, 82,208) and at the Millennium Stadium (Cardiff Blues v Leicester Tigers, 44,212).
• That Munster v Leinster attendance of 82,208 is the tournament semi-final record.
• Only one of the 30 semi-finals has failed to produce a try - Biarritz Olympique's 18-9 win over Bath Rugby in San Sebastian in 2006.
• The 30 Heineken Cup semi-finals have been watched by 867,972 fans - an average attendance of 28,932.
• Former Scottish referee Jim Fleming - now an ERC Board member - and Alain Rolland (Ireland) have controlled a record four Heineken Cup semi-finals. Alan Lewis (Ireland), Chris White (England) and Nigel Owens (Wales) have each refereed three tournament semi-finals.
• The first semi-final to be decided on a penalty shoot out was Cardiff Blues against Leicester Tigers at the Millennium Stadium in 2009. At 26-26 and two tries each after extra time, penalties were needed to separate the sides with Leicester going through to the Murrayfield final 7-6.
• The first semi-final requiring extra time was the 1998 all-French clash between Toulouse and Brive, Toulouse losing that one on a 2-1 try count.
• The highest score in a semi-final has been the 37 points scored by Leicester Tigers against Toulouse in 1997 and the 37 points scored by London Wasps against Munster in 2004.
• The biggest winning margin has been 27 points, when Toulouse beat Swansea 30-3 in 1996.
• Two clubs have scored five tries in a semi-final, Leicester Tigers against Toulouse (1997) and Wasps against Munster (2004).
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS - Pool 1 winners - 25 points; 16 tries
Quarter-finals: Northampton Saints 23 Ulster Rugby 13 - stadium:mk, Milton Keynes
Northampton Saints will be appearing in their 3rd semi-final
LEINSTER - Pool 2 winners - 24 points, 21 tries
Quarter-finals: Leinster 17 Leicester Tigers 10 - Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Leinster will be appearing in their 6th semi-final
PERPIGNAN - Pool 5 winners - 22 points; 23 tries
Quarter-finals: Perpignan 29 Toulon 25 - Olympic Stadium, Barcelona
Perpignan will be appearing in their 3rd semi-final
TOULOUSE - Pool 6 winners - 22 points, 15 tries
Quarter-finals: Biarritz Olympique 20 Toulouse 27 (after extra time) - Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastian
Toulouse will be appearing in their 10th semi-final
