By Bryn Palmer

The two captains tussle in last season's Heineken Cup encounter

Wasps and Leicester square up for the seventh time in 16 months in the Powergen Cup semi-finals on Saturday.

Their dominance of English rugby over the past seven years, and the presence of England team-mates on opposing sides, guarantees another high-octane occasion.

"When you lose to someone you know so well it is like losing to your brother in the back garden - it hurts more than anything because there are bragging rights at stake," admits Wasps' Josh Lewsey.

"When you beat your main rival you feel a couple of inches taller, especially when you meet up with the England camp, so the rivalry is very much alive."

Here we recall their six latest tussles ahead of Saturday's clash at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

The first of three meetings in four weekends set the tone for what was to follow despite both sides missing several leading players on international duty.

Wasps appeared to be in control of a tight contest when they led 17-7 in the final quarter, Mark van Gisbergen's try cancelling out a first-half effort from Tom Varndell.

But Leicester "got out of jail" - in the words of then coach John Wells - when Austin Healey crossed for a try with three minutes left and Andy Goode nailed the conversion to level it.

A pulsating game of Test-match intensity at the Causeway Stadium was one of the finest in Heineken Cup history.

Leicester stormed out of the blocks to lead 22-6, but a stunning Wasps comeback saw them draw level at 31-31 with five minutes left, only for Goode to kick Tigers to victory.

"It was a massively intense game," recalls Wasps' Josh Lewsey. "I could've gone on for another 80 minutes, I had so much adrenaline left."

Deja vu for Wasps at Welford Road, as they were again forced to come back from an early deficit only for Goode's boot to keep them at bay.

Leicester led 19-0 early on and 29-13 at half-time but second-half tries from Wasps duo Joe Worsley and Will Green ensured another grandstand finish.

"In both games we gifted them soft scores in the first 20 minutes," Lewsey recalled. "You can't afford to do that against quality teams because you always have to play catch-up."

With both sides assured of a place in the top two, a direct route into the Premiership final at Twickenham was on offer to the winners.

But Leicester - with Martin Johnson, Neil Back and coach John Wells all saying farewell to the Welford Road faithful - were by far the more motivated and ran in five tries-to-one.

Johnson admitted he was 'totally overwhelmed" by his standing ovation at the end, while Wells added: "If you could write scripts you would have written that one."

Sadly for Johnson, he couldn't write the script for his final club game as Wasps spoiled his Twickenham leaving party in spectacular style.

Johnson (right) did not have a fairytale end to his career

Instead it was their departing director of rugby Warren Gatland who signed off with a third successive title, as Wasps dominated proceedings from the start.

They were 13-0 up in five minutes and made light of Neil Back punching Joe Worsley at a line-out to totally out-play the Tigers, earning sweet revenge for their Heineken defeats.

Earlier this season Leicester again snatched a late draw at the Causeway Stadium as Andy Goode landed his fifth penalty with four minutes left.

The game was notable for Wasps flanker Tom Rees announcing himself as an England player-in-waiting with two barnstorming tries before the interval.

The scores were tied 23-23 at half-time, but neither side could muster a winning platform in difficult conditions. What drama will Saturday bring in the latest instalment?