ERC Heineken Cup 1/4 finals thread

LegacyUser

Right folks,

We're fast approaching the quarter final weekend on the back of a general high for Irish rugby. Fixtures are as follows (all times Irish):

Saturday 1st April 2006

Walkers Stadium, Leicester @ 12:30

Leicester Tigers - Bath (Sky Sports)


Stadium Municipal, Toulouse @ 15:00

Stade Toulousain - Leinster (RTE 2/Sky Sports)


Landsdowne Road, Dublin @ 17:30

Munster - Perpginan (RTE 2/Sky Sports)

Sunday 2nd April 2006

Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastian, Spain @ 17:00

Biarritz - Sale Sharks (Sky Sports)

I've two sets of predictions, head and heart

Head:

1. Leicester
2. Toulouse
3. Munster
4. Biarritz

Heart:

1. Bath
2. Leinster
3. Munster
4. Biarritz


Now before the usual suspects get on my case about wanting Leicester out, "with all the Irish lads they have", it's based on the fact that (a) they were damn lucky to get to this stage, but you have to give them credit to the last few results they pulled out of the fire, and (b) Ellis and Goode are two of the worst examples of sportsmen that I've ever had the displeasure to watch.

I think our lads Leinster have a very realistic chance in Toulouse, but you can never back against Stade when they're at home, Jauzion back (and playing at 100% by all accounts) etc. The Barnhall Bruiser will be raring to go! Gareth Thomas is a loss, but they've enough strength and depth to cover. one of the main things that gives me encouragement is Cheika & Knox. Cunning b*stards! It has all the makings of one of the classic HC games.

Munster really should really win "at home" in Landsdowne. With the old French teams travelling cliché, the international lads playing very well at the moment, and an (almost) fully fit squad, they really should put a few over Perpignan. Nicolas Laharrague has been ruled out with an injured shoulder. The fly-half tore shoulder muscles in a tackle during the final minutes of his side's 18-15 victory over Bourgoin in the French Championship on Saturday. Also should be an excellent game though.

More team news etc will follow over the course of the week.

daveirl

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Steffano2002

daveirl wrote:

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Indeed Leinster can do it and I am very worried (I am from Toulouse and an avid Stade Toulousain supporter)... We are struggling a bit at the moment IMO and as you say, if one team can do it, it's certainly Leinster! I'm vert worried...

Nonetheless: ALLEZ LE STADE!!!

LegacyUser

Ah yes Steffano, I remember your previous sig with the ST crest in it! I was over there last May to see them play Castres, and also at the HC final in Murrayfield, and they're an awesome team. The Stade fans are nuts as well!! It will be a cracking game, but I'm quietly confident

Steffano2002

That's me alright!

The Stade Toulousain crest I had before was too big and I was asked to remove it Found a smaller one last night though!

Snickers Man

Steffano2002 wrote:

Nonetheless: ALLEZ LE STADE!!!

Mais non!! ALLEZ LES BLEUS, n'est-ce pas?

Steffano2002

Snickers Man wrote:

Mais non!! ALLEZ LES BLEUS, n'est-ce pas?

Nope... I'm pretty sure it's ALLEZ LE STADE!!!

Snickers Man

Steffano2002 wrote:

Nope... I'm pretty sure it's ALLEZ LE STADE!!!

Chaqu'un a son gout.

Or whatever is the correct way to spell that with graves,acutes and circonflexes. A wonderful afternoon of couch potatory beckons.

Me, I just want an all-Irish semi-final at the old Lansdowne Road to treasure as a memory. I'd kill for tickets to that one.

Roddy23

Should be some quality rugby on this wkend, all from the comfort of my couch. It will be interesting to see how Leinster get on this wk. With probably the toughest game of the round, but there seems to be a confidence around this Leinster team and I wouldn't be shocked if they won in France, just surprised.
Munster I think are the favourites, for their "home" tie. But Perpignan are a good team, and I hope the Lansdowne crowd, can lift the team the way Thomond or Musgrave Park do.

Steffano2002

An all-Irish semi-final is a realistic possibility. I don't see Perpignan beating Munster but I can see Toulouse messing up!

LegacyUser

Here's Trevor Brennan's Heineken Cup diary from today's IT:

The Irish Times wrote:

European Cup Diary: Trevor Brennan looks forward eagerly to next Saturday and the long-awaited visit to the Stade unicipal of his former Leinster team-mates.

I would like to begin this column with a response to an article about me in a Sunday newspaper over the weekend. Normally, the occasional expletive in an interview is deleted and doesn't see the light of day, but to be honest I was embarrassed by the language used in quotes of mine.

I'm also a little weary of the stereotypical image of me. It's old, overused and one-sided. There are many layers to Trevor Brennan. I am no Cinderella man. Jaysus, I didn't even have two ugly sisters.

Now to the rugby. To the Irish team who won the Triple Crown: I take my hat off to all and I will gladly sit at home and cheer for you while you represent your country so well. I have been honoured to wear the green jersey. I have lived the dream and I hope the dream continues for all of you.

While the French were celebrating their Six Nations title Ireland were in the English back garden celebrating a win and another Triple Crown, and in Toulouse the Top 14 continued.

We've had six games since the pool stages of the Heineken Cup were completed, and have won four of them, the most recent against Agen at home last Friday night.

With all our internationals back they didn't have much time to celebrate their tournament win, but it was good to see them all back working and training the Monday after their Six Nations success. No rest for them.

Because the players are contracted to the clubs and not centrally contracted, they were also available for the Narbonne and Toulon games on the free weekends in the Six Nations, but I think it's important to stress how well some of the younger guys did in their absence.

For example, the week before last we travelled to Perpignan and were only just beaten, 15-13. This is not an easy place to go even with a full team.

This is Catalan country, remember, and you definitely know you're in a different part of France when you go there. They speak their own language and they do believe they have a separate identity from the rest of France.

You know you're in Perpignan as soon as you've arrived there because every building and every shop proudly carries the colours of the team. They are very passionate about their team and I don't know whether they're all given a free flag when they go to the Stade Aime Giral on matchdays but if it's a 13,500 capacity, I'd say 13,495 have blood and gold flags.

We scored the game's only try, and I was over the line myself but their hooker managed to get his arm underneath the ball. The television pundits also reckoned we had a legitimate penalty by Jean Dubois, which cleared the top of the posts, but the touch judges didn't award it.

For myself I told the younger lads this was a great opportunity for them and there was no need to have any fear. It was great to see everyone put their bodies on the line the way they did. We defended very well and they were reliant on five kicks, scoring a late penalty to win 15-13.

Guy Noves doesn't normally congratulate the team when we lose but he did that day. In the dressing-room afterwards he pulled us into a huddle to say how proud he was of us.

The Top 14 is enormously important for the French players and public alike, and there is a huge amount of pressure on us to obtain a top-four finish and a place in the semi-final play-offs. The leading six or seven clubs are quite closely bunched and if you lose one game it can drop you out of the play-off spots.

Luckily, we have things outside of rugby to relieve that pressure. Music, for instance. From rock 'n' roll to opera. Starting with the rock 'n' roll, a few weeks ago I got a call from Daniel Ryan, who is a friend of Denis Hickie's. Daniel is a member of a band called The Thrills, who were supporting the Oasis gig in Toulouse, the title of which was Don't Believe The Truth.

He asked me if I'd like to go to the gig, so when Ireland played Italy earlier in the day I met him in the bar for a late breakfast and a few pints.

We shared a few stories and a few laughs about our respective careers, and according to Daniel and the other four lads in The Thrills, rugby is the new rock 'n' roll. They never stopped talking to me about past matches and told me any free time they have from gigging and touring they're at matches. I was amazed.

Thankfully, none of them are built like rugby players, as I had to fit all five of them and their manager in my Peugeot 407 - two in the front, three in the back and one in the boot - to get them to their concert in the Zenith Stadium. That's rock 'n' roll for you.

What a gig! They gave me 12 free tickets and even dedicated a song to me.

Paraic McMahon, their base player, squeezed into one of my Toulouse shirts for the occasion. Actually, he was swimming in it, but he wore it for the whole gig. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did my friends.

As for the opera, what a contrast! We happen to have a 120-kilo Argentinian prop who could give Pavarotti a run for his money. Omar Hasan played his first solo concert, Tang'Omar, last week in front of 300 guests. Although it was more Spanish tango, he is training to be an opera singer. Accompanied by a pianist, Roger Pouly, he sang 20 songs in an hour and a half. What a voice! What a performer!

He began with El Ultimo Café and continued with Adios Muchachos. I discovered that Omar can not only sing, but he can dance also. He should go a long way. C'etait vachement bon.

Well, the European Cup, and we're playing Leinster. It had to happen eventually, I suppose, but it is still some turnaround when you think of it.

I've played with Leinster teams at underage level and six years at senior level.

Funnily enough, I made my European Cup debut for Leinster against Toulouse in 1997 at Donnybrook, and it's a game that's still talked about over here; especially the general havoc I caused that particular day. I was taken off with 10 minutes to go, by which stage I'd still done enough to be named man of the match, putting Christophe Deylaud out of the game and getting sinbinned as well.

This time, nine years on, I'll be wearing the red and black against my old team and some of my old team-mates. It took four years playing here for that to happen. I am trying to convince my doubting Toulouse team-mates that I am 110 per cent Stade Toulousain now.

I suppose, if I'm being honest, I'll just try and treat it like any other game. A must-win game, and another step toward a European Cup medal, the ultimate goal. Bienvenu, Leinster.

PS: On July 21st, my own family and the O'Neill family in Leixlip are holding a "golf day" in the Garda's Westmanstown Golf Club in aid of The Friends of the Irish Meningitis Research Foundation.

I've already lined up two teams from France and I hope a lot of my friends and acquaintances in the rugby and sporting world will lend their support.

The entry fee is €1,000 for each team of four, which I know sounds a lot, but it's only €250 per person and it's for a good cause close to the hearts of both families.

As well as a round of golf, there will be entertainment, dinner and prizes that night in the clubhouse.

Anyone interested can contact either Ronnie Brennan at 086 1725700 or Fergal O'Neill at 087 6930549. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Steffano2002

I didn't know Omar Hasan was a singer! And a dancer! Crazy!

Marshy

What's the story with Henderson on the Munster squad?

daveirl

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damnyanks

Anyone know what channels are showing the games in the UK (Other hten SkY) if any that is.

Really don't wanna trapse into pub to watch the game!

qwertyup

Praying that my flight isn't cancelled tomorrow...

Damn French unions, of all the bloody times!

Steffano2002

qwertyup wrote:

Praying that my flight isn't cancelled tomorrow...

Damn French unions, of all the bloody times!

They'll make an exception in Toulouse/Blagnac airport for flights from Ireland I'm sure. We're mad about our rugby and we wouldn't that to Irish fans!

daveirl

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qwertyup

Steffano2002 wrote:

They'll make an exception in Toulouse/Blagnac airport for flights from Ireland I'm sure. We're mad about our rugby and we wouldn't that to Irish fans!

I'm flying from Stansted, to Montpellier, then getting the train.

So much that could go wrong with this

Steffano2002

qwertyup wrote:

I'm flying from Stansted, to Montpellier, then getting the train.

So much that could go wrong with this

Hmmm... Pretty much everything! lol Just say your prayers before you go to bed tonight and hope for the best!
Actually, if you get caught in Montpellier (i.e. no trains), I can always contact some rugby fans in Toulouse (or even Montpellier!) who can give you a lift to Toulouse. If you're interested let me know by PMing me your mobile number and I'll text you my phone number in turn
I'm off to bed! Good night all!

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

LegacyUser

Leinster team -v- Stade Toulousain:

15. Girvan Dempsey
14. Shane Horgan
13. Brian O'Driscoll (c)
12. Gordon D'Arcy
11. Denis Hickie
10. Felipe Contepomi
9. Guy Easterby

1. Reggie Corrigan
2. Brian Blaney
3. Will Green
4. Bryce Williams
5. Malcolm O'Kelly
6. Cameron Jowitt
7. Keith Gleeson
8. Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: David Blaney, Ronan McCormack, Niall Ronan, Eric Miller, Brian O'Riordan, Kieran Lewis, Rob Kearney.

LegacyUser

Apologies, but it really was an oversight on my part not to include Connacht in this party.

They play tonight in a huge game for the province against the Newcastle Falcons.

European Challenge Cup quarter-final
Kingston Park, Friday, 31 March at 7.30pm (live Sky Sports 2)
Newcastle v Connacht

Newcastle: Burke; May, Noon, Mayerhofler, Elliott; Flood, Charlton; Williams, Thompson, Ward; Gross, Parling; McCarthy, Harris, Charvis (capt).
Replacements: Morris, Long, Perry, Finegan, Woods, Grindal, Walder.

Connacht: McHugh, Mostyn, Mailei, Matthews, McPhillips, Slemen/Warwick, Keane, Hogan, Fogarty, Knoop, Gannon, Farley, Muldoon, Lacey, Rigney.
Replacements: Merrigan, Clarke, Short, Swift, Tierney, Slemen/Warwick/Robinson, Williams.

qwertyup

Le sigh...

Got to Stansted, 20 minutes before we should have been airborne they announced it was cancelled.

Was surpised to see a bunch of leinster fans in their jerseys there, thought I'd be the only one.

Bollocks to this.

RuggieBear

qwertyup wrote:

Le sigh...

Got to Stansted, 20 minutes before we should have been airborne they announced it was cancelled.

Was surpised to see a bunch of leinster fans in their jerseys there, thought I'd be the only one.

Bollocks to this.

Ah man that ****ing blows:(

Steffano2002

Ahhh ballix! Gutted for you I am...

I apologise on behalf of the (lazy) French people

LegacyUser

Newcastle 23 Connacht 3

LegacyUser

Leicester v Bath
Walkers Stadium k.o. 12.30pm(Live Sky Sports 2)

Leicester: Vesty; Murphy, Lloyd, Smith, Hipkiss; Ellis, Goode; Rowntree, Chuter, White; Kay, L Deacon; Jennings, Moody, Corry (capt).
Replacements: Holford, Buckland, Cullen, Abraham, Healey, Cornwell, Tuilagi.

Bath: Stephenson; Higgins, Crockett, Barkley, Bory; Malone, Walshe; Filise, Mears, Bell; Hudson, Grewcock; Beattie, Delve, Feaunati.
Replacements: Dixon, Flatman, Short, Lipman, Williams, Cheeseman, Best.


Toulouse v Leinster
Le Stadium Municipal k.o. 3.00pm(Live RTÉ 2/Sky Sports 2)
Referee: Dave Pearson (RFU)

Toulouse: C Poitrenaud; V Clerc, Y Jauzion, F Fritz, C Heymans; F Michalak, J Elissalde; J Poux, Y Bru (capt), O Hasan, F Pelous, T Brennan, J Bouilhou, Y Nyanga, F Maka.
Replacements: V Lacombe, G Menkarska, R Millo-Chlusky, G Lamboley, J Dubois, M Medard, M Kunavore.

Leinster: Dempsey; Horgan, O'Driscoll, capt, D'Arcy, Hickie; Contepomi, Easterby; R Corrigan, B Blaney, Greem, Williams, O'Kelly, Jowitt, Gleeson, Heaslip.
Replacements: D Blaney, McCormack, Ronan, Miller, O'Riordan, Lewis, Kearney.


Munster v Perpignan
Lansdowne Road k.o. 5.15pm (Live RTÉ 2/Sky Sports 1)
Referee: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)

Munster: S Payne; J Kelly, T O'Leary, T Halstead, I Dowling; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, J Flannery, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, D Leamy, D Wallace, A Foley.
Replacements: D Fogarty, F Pucciariello, M O'Driscoll, S Keogh, J Manning, TBC, TBC.

Perpignan: J Laharrague; C Manas, D Marty, G Hume, S Dawai Naulu; R Pez, N Durand; P Freshwater, M Tincu, N Mas, R Alvarez Kairelis, N Hines, S Robertson, B Goutta, O Tonita.
Replacements: M Konieck, S Bozzi, G Bortolaso, G Le Corvec, S Dupuy, J Grandclaude, M Bourret.

accensi0n

was really hoping to see the leic,bath match. how come it isn't being shown on bbc?

grr

RuggieBear

accensi0n wrote:

was really hoping to see the leic,bath match. how come it isn't being shown on bbc?

grr

coz sky have the uk rights

KevIRL

Leicster 12 Bath 15

What a finish! Bath survive a massive rearguard action playing the last 10 mins or so with 13 men.

LegacyUser

A poor game, but what a last 15 minutes! Bath reduced to 13 men on 68 minutes, amazing defensive heart, and coupled with some Leicester knock-ons, and one or two HORRIBLE decisions my MeatLoaf (Andy Goode), held out for the 15-12 win.

Great result

KevIRL

Well done Hickie!

KevIRL

Toulouse 21 Leinster 38 latest (65mins)

4 tries to leinster 0 for Toulouse

KevIRL

21-41

To score 41 points away to Toulouse is some going!

galwaydude

sounds like a fantastic day for leinister today.Its days like this that i mis been at home in irelland as cant get to see the game here in the states

Funkstard

bejaysus what the hell is going on!? this is absolutely incredible by leinster!!

Nukem

They f*ckin won *clap* *clap* *clap* *clap* *clap*
Briliant game and one brilliant display. Philipe Contepome was unreal as was all the team. Well done Leinster. Munster to win later and we have a guaranteed Irish team in the final.

Nukem

RuggieBear

woot

It's days like this i'm glad i'm a leinster season ticket holder;)

Imagine the pressure for tickets if Munster beat the perps

Diamondmaker

Savage bleedin savage absolute heroes. They won exactly the way they said they were going to play. Insane rugby absolutely insane Phil is a God Dric an hero. see the incident before he went off...down injured sees the ruck in trouble hops up dives in ...Leinster Penno. Legend.

And Gleeson how many loose balls did he hoover up , Id love to see the stats.

Amazing game. season ticket great value shame it does not include flights to S France!: )

Jackz

woot kinda sums it up alright! The pleasure of listening to people eat they're words!

Diamondmaker

Savage bleedin savage absolute heroes. They won exactly the way they said they were going to play. Insane rugby absolutely insane Phil is a God Dric an hero. see the incident before he went off...down injured sees the ruck in trouble hops up dives in ...Leinster Penno. Legend.

And Gleeson how many loose balls did he hoover up , Id love to see the stats

Contempomi is a nutter...

i love it!

Diamondmaker

yeaqh the bandage suited him, like an escaped lunatic from an asylum runnign from inside 22 when 20 ahead.

Toulose have not lost there in 6 years , who ever lost kicking 8 from 8 ??it was an insane day.

BODs shoulder seems fine in interview role on revenge on Perpignan at the scene of the crime or Nunster...to be fair as a leinster man I want to see the french wheel in for the semi,.....but its gonna be the culchies/

will

Steffano2002

Congratulations to Leinster! Been telling everyone in work they would win it but nobody believed me... Toulouse was poor and Leinster did not let them play any rugby. Michalak was useless. Great display by Leinster. Hope you win the H-Cup (don't see Munster beating you in Lansdowne)!

[Jackass]

EA-SY!


EA-SY!


EA-SY!

scojones

Munster are not playing good enough.

Diamondmaker

Have booked Final tickets...Need Munster to win to see a gurantee of actually wanting to go, come the date. Leinster should however deffo beat either on display at minute... should be safe I think.

Munster were distinctively average..

Leinster were amazing...

but the formbook won't count when they play, believe me.
it'll be all heart, plenty of fight.

evilhomer

Can you imagine the demand for tickets?
Pity it's not going to be on in Croke Park.

MarkR

What was all that hulaballo in the last moments, thought it was a fight stopped by stewards, but I saw a lot of skin - was that a streaker?

Looks like a good setup for the semis.