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Leinster pulled off a difficult 19-15 road win in Bordeaux April 29th against ASM Clermont Auvergne to advance to the Heineken Cup finals. They'll be defending the Cup against fellow Irish club Ulster, who edged Edinburgh 22-19 at Landsdowne Road the day before.

Leinster cap off a 5-1 Heineken Cup run, with a 34-3 playoff victory against Cardiff as well as a 17-1-3 RaboDirect PRO 12 record, while challenger Ulster had a slightly rougher road, going 4-2 in the Cup, with a 22-16 win against Munster, and a much less impressive 12-9 RaboDirect PRO 12 record. It looks like Leinster will repeat as champions when the two sides meet at Twickenham on May 19.

Part II of my series "Rugby Positions by the Numbers" focuses on the second row, or the locks wearing numbers 4 and 5. Read Part I on the front row here.

Part I of my new six-part series "Rugby Positions by the Numbers" debuts today. I'll be going into depth about each position on the pitch, starting with numbers 1, 2, and 3, or the "front row." Parts II through VI to follow in short in order.

ASM Clermont's Sitiveni Sivivatu at the bottom of a maul against Saracens.

Just in time for this season's semi-finals (Ulster v. Edinburgh and ASM Clermont Auvergne v. Leinster, in case you were wondering), I've written up a brief introduction to the Heineken Cup, the competition that pits Europe's top professional clubs against each other. The article covers what the Cup is, who competes, how the tournament is organized, and who's done well (bonus: a section comparing the Heineken Cup winners to the Six Nations winners). Getty Images