Harlequins head coach Conor O'Shea believes that defending their Aviva Premiership crown would be a greater achievement than winning it for the first time.

Quins won the title in their first-ever final last season when they beat Leicester Tigers 30-23 at Twickenham.

The two sides meet again in the last-four stage on Saturday at Welford Road, and O'Shea is looking for a repeated performance from when they last met in a high-stakes clash.

"This would be a greater achievement than last year," O'Shea told the Twickenham Times. "The way we have defended our title and the way the players have gone about it so far is a credit to them.

"Teams always seem to have their best sides out against us and play with intent and intensity, but we've kept on coming back."

The winner of the match will face either Saracens or Northampton Saints in the final.