Image source, SWPix.com

It's glorious short-sleeve weather on the Mediterranean.

The atmosphere has been building for a few hours with the Catalans Dragons players given a huge reception into the stadium and then greeted with fireworks as they take to the field.

What a night for a Super League semi-final!

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

It's not just these live text updates you need to keep up with what's going on in Perpignan this evening.

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra are on hand to take you though the action.

You can also keep across their commentary on BBC Radio Merseyside.

Jay Freeman
BBC Sport

Almost two years on from when St Helens and Catalans Dragons met in a Super League Grand Final, these two teams face each other in a knockout tie once more.

Saints reigned supreme that evening under the lights at Old Trafford as they clinched their third Super League title in a row.

Fast forward to today and, although their dominance was questioned during a lean patch earlier in the season, Paul Wellens has picked up where Kristian Woolf left off and kept their dynasty alive.

Steve McNamara has continued to work his magic at Catalans and they will be feeling confident of a return to the Theatre of Dreams having reached the play-off stage of the competition for the fourth season in succession.

Make no mistake, this will be a bruising battle at Stade Gilbert Brutus but don't forget, it's going to be hot and sticky with the south of France enjoying some fine weather despite it being early October.

How much of a say will the conditions have in dictating the tempo of this semi-final?

Image source, SW Pix

They are two giants of the Super League era but 2023 marks the end of the line for Catalans Dragons full-back Sam Tomkins and St Helens skipper James Roby.

Tomkins, now 34, has been a Super League winner three times (with Wigan Warriors) and twice named Man of Steel.

Roby has won the big prize six times with Saints, including the last four years as captain, and the 37-year-old was Man of Steel back in 2007.

They will leave big shoes to fill when the time comes, but the pair will not be thinking about that yet.

One will have their last shot at glory in eight days' time, but for the other, it all ends tonight in Perpignan.

James Roby captains the team as hooker with fellow retiree Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook alongside him in the St Helens front row.

Loose forward Morgan Knowles makes his 200th appearance while young George Delaney is back on the bench.

St Helens: Welsby; Makinson, Percival, Hopoate, Bennison; Lomax, Dodd; McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Roby (c), Lees, Mata'utia, Sironen, Knowles.

Interchanges: Walmsley, Bell, Delaney, Mbye.

Catalans Dragons welcome back three players into their team from the side that won at Salford Red Devils a fortnight ago.

Centre Adam Keighran, prop Sio Siua Taukeiaho and second row Paul Seguier return for this one at a sold-out Stade Gilbert Brutus.

Catalans Dragons: Tomkins; Davies, Keighran, Ikuvalu, Johnstone; May, Pearce; McMeeken, McIlorum, Taukeiaho, Whitley, Seguier, Garcia (c).

Interchanges: Mourgue, Bousquet, Navarrete, Ma'u.

Image source, SW Pix

The final Super League table had these two sides locked on 40 points with identical records of 20 wins and seven losses.

Points difference was all that separated them in finishing second and third behind Wigan Warriors.

But it gave the French team an extra week to prepare while Saints took care of business against Warrington Wolves last Saturday.

In the two league fixtures this season, Catalans won both - a 24-12 success in France before a narrow 14-12 win at the Totally Wicked Stadium in July.

That may give them a slight boost of confidence, but the Dragons are up against the ultimate big match team.

St Helens are used to winning semi-finals and finals and they started this campaign off by going Down Under and beating NRL Champions Penrith Panthers to become World Club Champions.

So you can never write off the Saints.

Image source, Rex Features

While France take on Italy in Lyon in the 15-man World Cup this evening nearly 300 miles north, all eyes in this corner of south east France are on the 13-man game.

The Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan is sold out for the visit of St Helens, the match that the Catalans Dragons wanted.

Les Dracs were desperate for a home semi-final on their own patch and to get one of the big boys on the plane down.

They certainly have that as they welcome the Saints, the World Club Champions and aiming for a fifth straight Super League title.

Image source, BBC Sport

Bonjour, ay up!

The Super League Grand Final is only eight days away and we are down to the semi-finals.

We have Wigan Warriors against Hull KR tomorrow (12:45 BST), but tonight Catalans Dragons and St Helens will do battle and we cannot wait.

For the loser tonight, there is no second chance. For the winner, it is onwards to Old Trafford where they will be 80 minutes from glory.

So, settle back and enjoy what promises to be an epic encounter.