Who should we support for the HC?

Snickers Man

With no Irish teams left the question looms: whose victory would we most like to see. At the time of writing there are six teams still in it, although Leicester and Biarritz with their home draws should each be red hot favourites to progress.

Who would we like to see win?

Wasps
Pros
Good streetwise team with a few Irish players who show, Munster like, that if you want to win rugby matches you have to boss the forward exchanges. Have a bit of a cutting edge too and winning wouldn't do the likes of Reddan and Staunton (if he gets back in the team) any harm

Cons
Negative bastards who work the percentages, excel at professional fouls and concede penalties and yellow cards rather than give the opposition try scoring opportunities. Not the sort of team you like to see winning big tournaments. Gives the game a bad name.


Llanelli
Pros
Team that plays with a lot of passion and has a good youthful (largely) back line determined to have a go. The international game needs a couple of Celtic countries threatening the established order. It's good to see a Welsh team, especially one with the history and following of Llanelli, doing well on the major stages.

Cons
They're Welsh. Any morsel of success goes to their heads and they think they're back in the days of Edwards, John, JPR and Gerald Davies. Look what happened after they won the Grand Slam: tried to give the celtic league the fingers and got back into bed with the big English clubs. Hubris and Welsh rugby are shag buddies.


Biarritz
Pros
The outstanding team of the preliminary stages. Came close last year. Surely deserve a championship for their consistency over the years.

Cons
Their head honcho is Serge Blanco. A truly magnificent player in his day and the epitome of what attractive running rugby should be he has become as an administrator a total arsehole and has led the French charge to try to damage the HC irreparably. Typical short term bean counting with the emphasis on the immediate bottom line and no vision of the future. Even though his ideas have been given short shrift by the English and he's now looking to save face, a win in the HC would only encourage him.

Leicester
Pros
Consistently one of the best teams in the premiership and in Europe. Have loads of Irish players on their books, some of whom are coming home next season

Cons
Have won twice already and another win might give them the sort of superiority complex that comes so naturally to English rugby. Might even tilt them towards the Blanco line of "Who needs the Celtic nations anyway?"



Conclusion
I think we should pray for a win by either Llanelli or Leicester, who should meet (upsest excepting) in the semi final. The Welsh might be a little more humbe given their team's disasters since the Grand Slam and Leicester are basically good eggs who have too many irish (and other) players to get too carried away.

davyjose

I'm going with Biarritz - easily the best team left in the Tournament; deserving of a win after being finalists last year (ok, doesn't mean they 'deserve' it, but, ya know!!), aren't English, and have no bitterness from an Irish perspective because we didn't lose to them; I also think a french win might soothe their ambition to pull out next year.

Oh and I was there on me holidays once - nice place.

Failing that I'd go with Llannelli, but it irks me when the Welsh get a bit of success - it always feels undeserved (2005, I'm looking at you)

I would also be very quick not to rule out Stade!!!

siochain

support Llanelli, but if i was having a bet Biarritz

bugler

I think it's a bit presumptious to be writing off Stade Francais yet. I have €30 on them at 7/1 to win the HC, so that earns them my support They've lost a couple of good players during the 6N though.

I think Biarritz might do it. I want a look at them today, but they probably will not break sweat against N'Hampton and not look particularly impressive.

I'd love Llanelli to win it, because they play very exciting rugby, and it's very pleasing to a spectator.

I don't want either English team to win it - not on any misguided notion of nationalism, but I've been watching a lot of GP including the two English teams left in it and I've rarely enjoyed it. For the "sake of rugby" I'll hope for the winner to be either Stade or Llanelli.

mikedragon32

Llanelli. They've put in some great performances this season so far, including that win away to Toulouse.

Plus with Easterby as Captain, there's some Irish interest too.

I'd agree with Bugler's sentiments on any of the English teams winning, if only because I'm sick of Stuart Barnes' one sided commentary when any GP team is playing.

RuggieBear

llanelli

EdgarAllenPoo

I'm with RuggieBear on this one, they look like the most deserving team of the bunch and I think it would be good for rugby in general rather than one of the usual suspects taking the trophy.

bugler

Northampton's improbably victory has cast a pretty strange light on the semis now.

Wasps will be doing cartwheels. Biarritz just can't be ****ing arsed, and Northampton get an intercept try to win it.

We'll see how Tigers-Stade goes, but christ I'll be supporting Llanelli with all my heart if Stade don't go through

Laslo

I'll be supporting Leicester, my favourite overseas team.

[Jackass]

Llanelli ftw!

siochain

siochain wrote:

support Llanelli, but if i was having a bet Biarritz

just as well i didn't but that bet on

uberwolf

I'd be looking to see another Irish man lift the trophy.

funky penguin

Llanelli for me. I think they've worked hard, and if they continue to do so, have a great chance of winning.

phog

The dates and kick-offs of the 2006/7 Heineken Cup semi-finals have been confirmed.

HEINEKEN CUP SEMI-FINALS - TO BE PLAYED 21 / 22 APRIL
Saturday 21 April 3pm Leicester Tigers v Llanelli Scarlets, Walkers Stadium, Leicester - 32,000 Sky Sports, FR2

Sunday 22 April 3pm Northampton Saints v London Wasps, Ricoh Arena, Coventry - 32,000 Sky Sports

At this stage my support is divided between Wasps (Reddan & Staunton on squad) and Scarlets (great to see a ML Team lift the cup again this year). It would make a great final, I'm glad I have my tickets.

Jacob

How are ye lads, first post here. I'm just wondering what people (Munster and Leinster fans) are doing with their tickets for the final. I really got it wrong this year, I cannot believe Northampton beat Biarritz, I was sure Biarritz would beat Leinster in the final. I love watching Biarritz, particularly their backrow, I can't get over how average they looked today.

Anyway, I would go to Twinckenham nonetheless although, I've been screwed over by non-interested fans before so I'd feel a bit strange hogging Llanelli/Northampton/Tiggers/Bumble bees tickets.

Any thoughts? Cheers

daveirl

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Diamondmaker

Im supporting Leicester Irish !!

matt cork

i shall be supporting the bumbles im afraid. my head said they would get out of the group (they then did:eek: ), my head said they would loose to leinster (they didn't:eek: ) and now they have found themselves against the saints (totally unexpected - with all due respect to their fans) so i would like to see a llanelli vs wasps final

this from a very, very, very lonely wasps fan here in cork:o

tHE vAGGABOND

I never understood this irish thing about having to support a team in every league and stage of a comp. Ask a random person who they support [in any large sport] and you get a list of teams as long as your arm!

Our Irish teams are out, so I will watch the semi's and final, but dont care who wins tbh

bugler

I can't help picking a side. Whether it's because their opponents are dirtier, or better, or I don't like the look of them - I always want someone to win.

funky penguin

tHE vAGGABOND wrote:

I never understood this irish thing about having to support a team in every league and stage of a comp. Ask a random person who they support [in any large sport] and you get a list of teams as long as your arm!

Our Irish teams are out, so I will watch the semi's and final, but dont care who wins tbh

For me, it's a case of supporting Llanelli for the win purely because I believe they deserve it the most.

sioda

Gotta go with tHE vAGGABOND on this dont really care who wins

buck65

Would love to see Llanelli win it, have my tickets but not sure if I'll go or not.
Still I reckon Leicester will take them and probably Wasps in the other semi.

crybaby

same here, i find it hard to watch sport not involving Ireland and enjoying it without supporting one of the teams, didnt realise it was a solely Irish trait though

LostinBlanch

Llanelli because I don't want any English or French club to win it.

eZe^

I dont think I could hate any other team in the world more than I hate Leicester. I hope Andy Goode dies in a fire. Llaneli are who Im supporting, was gonna root for Stade when Munster got knocked out because they have Hernandez (what a tackle on tuilagi :P), Dominici and Parisse. Wasps piss me off so much iswell and Ill never forgive Northampton for beating us in the HC final by a point.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Diamondmaker

eZe^ wrote:

I dont think I could hate any other team in the world more than I hate Leicester. I hope Andy Goode dies in a fire. Llaneli are who Im supporting, was gonna root for Stade when Munster got knocked out because they have Hernandez (what a tackle on tuilagi :P), Dominici and Parisse. Wasps piss me off so much iswell and Ill never forgive Northampton for beating us in the HC final by a point.

If he dies it will be from eating ll the pies, Fat C*nt!:D

Steffano2002

LostinBlanch wrote:

Llanelli because I don't want any English or French club to win it.

Well considering French clubs can no longer win it I agree with you and will be supporting Llanelli (obviously!).

Steffano2002

Steffano2002 wrote:

Well considering French clubs can no longer win it ...

Wouldnt say that was his motivation