Heinken Cup Quarter Finals

jamieh

Munster vs Ospreys

Harlequins vs Leinster

Aidric

Ospreys is a potentially tricky assignment but with home advantage and the variety Munster are playing with this season, I fully expect them to win it.
Harlequins have been decent anytime I've seen them play this season and should have enough to dispose of Leinster.

crisco10

SWEET. I am in London anyway that weekend. Think I will be looking for tickets to the Leinster match. Where is the stoop relative to London, is it far?

ScrubsfanChris

(Cardiff Blues v. Toulouse) and (Leicester Tigers v. Bath) are the other two.

Podge_irl

crisco10 wrote: »

SWEET. I am in London anyway that weekend. Think I will be looking for tickets to the Leinster match. Where is the stoop relative to London, is it far?

I would imagine the game will be in Twickers.

RugbyFanatic

Osprey's backline is absolutely immense should be very tricky for Munster

crisco10

Podge_irl wrote: »

I would imagine the game will be in Twickers.

Cool Cool! I was thinking about going then it all just fell into place...

soundsham

RugbyFanatic wrote: »

Osprey's backline is absolutely immense should be very tricky for Munster

obviously you've been supporting the sponsors from the early kickoff:D
munster have scored 18 tries in the h cup ospreys 17
13 against b treviso:rolleyes:

immense backline got 4 in the other 4 games

Serenity Now!

RugbyFanatic wrote: »

Osprey's backline is absolutely immense should be very tricky for Munster

It would be the contact area and breakdowns where Munster will be concentrating on dominating. Mafi and Tipoki must be present to consolidate the impressive Munster defence in the midfield.
Hard to call a result. At this moment in time, Munster have a major edge over the Ospreys. After the 6N it could altogether be a entirely different state of affairs if Wales do well. If Ireland do well then a Munster win more likely, in my opinion.
Like its been said though, its ages away so predictions right now are about as valid as a pre-6N Lions selection.

Rattlehead_ie

Am I right in saying that its already decided who plays who in semi's its not a draw?
I.E
Winner of Blues v Toulouse plays against Winner Munster v Ospreys
Winner of Quins V Leinster plays againt Winner of Leicester v Bath?

Podge_irl

Rattlehead_ie wrote: »

Am I right in saying that its already decided who plays who in semi's its not a draw?
I.E
Winner of Blues v Toulouse plays against Winner Munster v Ospreys
Winner of Quins V Leinster plays againt Winner of Leicester v Bath?

No its an open draw.

louthandproud

Rattlehead_ie wrote: »

Am I right in saying that its already decided who plays who in semi's its not a draw?
I.E
Winner of Blues v Toulouse plays against Winner Munster v Ospreys
Winner of Quins V Leinster plays againt Winner of Leicester v Bath?

1(b) Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final
(i) the Semi-Finals will be played at a venue designated by ERC, with the opponents
in each match determined by a draw conducted by ERC. The Final will be played
at a venue designated by ERC.

sm.org

Podge_irl wrote: »

I would imagine the game will be in Twickers.

They'd be nuts to move it to Twickers , but accountants run clubs so it probably will be.

Serenity Now!

sm.org wrote: »

They'd be nuts to move it to Twickers

Why? They're in the competition to earn as well as try to win. They'd easily fill the lower tiers of the stadium for that game (that's 30,000 tickets).

Poker Face

crisco10 wrote: »

SWEET. I am in London anyway that weekend. Think I will be looking for tickets to the Leinster match. Where is the stoop relative to London, is it far?

The stoop is located here

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Harlequins+RFC,+Langhorn+Dr,+Twickenham,+Greater+London+TW2,+United+Kingdom&sll=51.446946,-0.339546&sspn=0.051353,0.154495&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FVYREQMd4b_6_w&split=0&t=h&ll=51.455237,-0.343323&spn=0.012836,0.038624&z=15

Poker Face

louthandproud wrote: »

1(b) Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final
(i) the Semi-Finals will be played at a venue designated by ERC, with the opponents
in each match determined by a draw conducted by ERC. The Final will be played
at a venue designated by ERC.

I think the draw for the semis is due to take place this tuesday

[Jackass]

I don't think Munster will have too many problems. They didn't have to work anywhere near top gear to over turn Ospreys in Swansea.

Leinster game is very tough. Winnable, but very very tough. A lot will need to improve between now and then if we're going to have a chance.

When is the semi final draw? Tough to pick which game you would want the winner from in the semis...

I think if I was a Munster man I'd want the winner of Quins / Leinster at home. As a Leinster man, it's much tougher to choose.

ScrubsfanChris

Serenity Now! wrote: »

Why? They're in the competition to earn as well as try to win. They'd easily fill the lower tiers of the stadium for that game (that's 30,000 tickets).

Good point, because once it gets to the semi-final stage the ERC takes all the money from the ticket sales so the quarter-Finals are the last chance for the clubs to make a direct profit from the ticket sales.

remus808

Ospreys are a good side, but anyone who dosen't think Munster will put them away in Thomond in a HEC QF is:

a) a pessimist

b) a leinster fan

c) wrong

Munster beat the O's in the Liberty without too much trouble and a 1/2 strength team recentely. Ospreys have plenty of class, but they can't live with Munster at the breakdown, or in terms of grit and experience. They've a reputation as being flaky for a reason. And thats before you consider that it's Thomond Park.

and i'm a leinster fan

remus808

Oh and I forgot:

d) a Munster symphatist playing into the old "underdogs" doctrine

Munster are deserved favourites for this year for a reason. Noone compares at the moment

Serenity Now!

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

Good point, because once it gets to the semi-final stage the ERC takes all the money from the ticket sales so the quarter-Finals are the last chance for the clubs to make a direct profit from the ticket sales.

Minus ground-hire and minus facilities/logistics expenses.
Since the relevant unions are all partners in ERC (and ML, EDF, GP) the money goes back into the game anyway.

Dubliner28

I think its Munster's to lose now. Have come back into form and will be very hard to beat.

toomevara

Dubliner28 wrote: »

I think its Munster's to lose now. Have come back into form and will be very hard to beat.

Sorry Dubliner but you're trippin' on the crazy gas;)...Have you seen Quins, Toulouse, Cardiff and Bath play at all this year?..All of these teams are massively on form and more than capable of beating Munster.

Cardiiff and Quins in particular are playing some of the best rugby in the comp, and while Munster are getting back up there, we're nowhere near to where we need to be to retain the title and with the small matter of the 6n between now and the Qf, pretty much anything can happen...

Micky Dolenz

Dubliner28 wrote: »

I think its Munster's to lose now. Have come back into form and will be very hard to beat.

I completely agree.

The Qf are a long way off and hopefully our big players will avoid injury during the 6N.

Am glad we missed Leinster in this round as I belive they have a big game in them yet.

kensutz

Semi final draw details

The mechanics of the draw are as follows:
The four balls, each containing one of the quarter-final matches, will be drawn from the drum by Jean-Pierre Lux, the ERC Chairman, and Scott Hastings, an Edinburgh 09 Heineken Cup Final Ambassador for the match at Murrayfield on Saturday, 23 May, 2009 (5.00 pm).

a) The FIRST ball drawn will have home country advantage* in semi-final 1
b) The SECOND ball drawn will play in semi-final 1
c) The THIRD ball drawn will have home country advantage* in semi-final 2
d) The FOURTH ball drawn will play in semi-final 2
* Home country advantage - venue selected by ERC

DBraithwaite

Leinster will have a tough game in london against harlequins, but we could have got a worse team considering the teams in it. anyway leinster have to have a good game sooner or later so Quins wouldnt want to underestimate them

buck65

Ospreys, while not a bad draw for Munster will take massive beating . I would rate them ahead of Leicester, Leinster , Cardiff and on a par with Quins and Bath.

Semi final predictions- Munster, Toulouse, Quins and Bath.
As everyone says there is alot of rugby to be played and if Munster are full strength I fancy them. If not Toulouse.

DBraithwaite

buck65 wrote: »

Ospreys, while not a bad draw for Munster will take massive beating . I would rate them ahead of Leicester, Leinster , Cardiff and on a par with Quins and Bath.

Semi final predictions- Munster, Toulouse, Quins and Bath.
As everyone says there is alot of rugby to be played and if Munster are full strength I fancy them. If not Toulouse.

would agree with munster toulouse but leinster will have to have a good run our cheika can kiss his head goodbye!

Warper

I think the winners will be either Munster or Toulouse while Leicester probably
have an outside squeak. Leinster are always capable of one big performance but i just cant see them putting 3 big performances back-to-back.

I fancy Munster big-time against the Ospreys especially at Thomand. The draw tomorrow is obviously very important as the one game you dont want is Toulouse in France.

johnmolloy554

Warper wrote: »

I fancy Munster big-time against the Ospreys especially at Thomand. The draw tomorrow is obviously very important as the one game you dont want is.

The one game we don't want is Munster playing in Thomond on Good Friday........

smog

DBraithwaite wrote: »

Leinster will have a tough game in london against harlequins, but we could have got a worse team considering the teams in it. anyway leinster have to have a good game sooner or later so Quins wouldnt want to underestimate them

Considering we haven't scored a try in 3 games and look completely without imagination at the half backs (particularly fly half) this is going to be super tough! Unfortunitly i have watched a couple of quinns games and they look to be in flying form also ... grim days ahead unless we raise our game and find some miracle.

Bryan Habana

Yeah, I have to agree with some of the earlier posters. I'd fancy Munster for the win but Osprey's will be a good test.

suppafly

buck65 wrote: »

Ospreys, while not a bad draw for Munster will take massive beating . I would rate them ahead of Leicester, Leinster , Cardiff and on a par with Quins and Bath.

Semi final predictions- Munster, Toulouse, Quins and Bath.
As everyone says there is alot of rugby to be played and if Munster are full strength I fancy them. If not Toulouse.

I wouldn't be writting off Cardiff . They've beaten Toulouse at home before and Toulouse aren't on top form either. They lost at home to glasgow warriors by 7 points. They only managed to qualify for the quarter finals cuz they were in the easiest group.

buck65

But before that Glasgow loss they won 10 on the trot I think. At 5 to 1 odds I think they are a good bet.

twinytwo

RugbyFanatic wrote: »

Osprey's backline is absolutely immense should be very tricky for Munster

:rolleyes:.... if munster bring their A game which they will Ospreys wont win. This is of coarse dependant on none of the munster lads being hurt in the 6n's. Munster have a far superior team.. and at the end of the day will always want it more

juvenal

Saturday 11th April

15:30 Cardiff Blues v Toulouse

18:00 Leicester v Bath

Sunday 12th April

13:00 Munster v Ospreys

15:30 Harlequins v Leinster

DBraithwaite

If Leinster and munster both win their respective quarter finals they will end up playin each other probably at croke park

Serenity Now!

twinytwo wrote: »

Munster have a far superior team.. and at the end of the day will always want it more

LOL!
I just love when people come out with lines like that :rolleyes:

Noopti

Serenity Now! wrote: »

LOL!
I just love when people come out with lines like that :rolleyes:

To be fair you can see where he is coming from. Munster always seem to have a greater hunger for it. Leinster seem to go out one week and show massive hunger and commitment, and the next week come out and look like they want to be somewhere else.

I'm not saying Leinster have no hunger for the Heineken Cup, just that it can be hard to see it sometimes.

Podge_irl

Noopti wrote: »

To be fair you can see where he is coming from. Munster always seem to have a greater hunger for it. Leinster seem to go out one week and show massive hunger and commitment, and the next week come out and look like they want to be somewhere else.

I'm not saying Leinster have no hunger for the Heineken Cup, just that it can be hard to see it sometimes.

And the relevance of that to a Munster-Ospreys game is what exactly.....


Munster don't "want it more", they are simply a better team then the Ospreys. It amuses me how some fans like to see Munster constantly as up against bigger or better teams, but with more passion and desire that sees them through. Munster are a better team then the Ospreys with better players in a lot of positions. They are also better coached. That is why they will probably win.

Erin Go Brath

Theres a distinct possibility of a Munster v Toulouse final repeat of last year. Munster should be too good for Ospreys, and Toulouse should beat Cardiff when it matters.
I cant see Leinster beating Harlequins unless they improve between now and April. Bath/Leicester is about 50/50.

From a Munster perspective i'm glad we don't have to go to France to play Toulouse (should Munster and Toulouse win their QFs) as that could well have tripped us up. As it stands Munster must be in with a real shout of winning again this year. Hopefully there'll be no major injuries to contend with after the 6N's.

toomevara

Erin Go Brath wrote: »

Bath/Leicester is about 50/50.

Leicester are very poor this year, and are experiencing serious upheaval in the coaching team (Meyer has just confirmed he ain't coming back from SA). Bath are playing some lovely rugby. I cant see any outcome other than a comfortable Bath win...

twinytwo

Podge_irl wrote: »

And the relevance of that to a Munster-Ospreys game is what exactly.....


Munster don't "want it more", they are simply a better team then the Ospreys. It amuses me how some fans like to see Munster constantly as up against bigger or better teams, but with more passion and desire that sees them through. Munster are a better team then the Ospreys with better players in a lot of positions. They are also better coached. That is why they will probably win.

:rolleyes: that will only get you so far... you must also have a desire to win otherwise what is the point in playing. I mean by that theory ireland should walk over wales in the 6n's.

twinytwo

Serenity Now! wrote: »

LOL!
I just love when people come out with lines like that :rolleyes:

Really so when munster are losing in important games the desire to win has nothing to do with it???.. i mean in the all black game you cannot say they had better players or were better coached and even though they lost by a wisker why was it they played so well???????????????????????

Serenity Now!

twinytwo wrote: »

Really so when munster are losing in important games the desire to win has nothing to do with it???..

Reading that line of yours, you are saying that Munster lose important games because they don't want to win...lol

twinytwo wrote: »

i mean in the all black game you cannot say they had better players or were better coached and even though they lost by a wisker why was it they played so well???????????????????????

Are you referring to the tour game played over 30 years ago?
Cheers for the sports psychology lesson and a a quantum load of question marks. :rolleyes:

Micky Dolenz

Serenity Now! wrote: »

Are you referring to the tour game played over 30 years ago?
. :rolleyes:

. How could he have been referring to that game? The team that lost that day were well beaten and didn't " lose by a whisker" :rolleyes:

Serenity Now!

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

. How could he have been referring to that game? The team that lost that day were well beaten and didn't " lose by a whisker" :rolleyes:

Ah because he mentioned the All Blacks I took 'they' as the All Blacks.
Still utterly pish psychology drive though. He'd mean that the New Zealand team last november won because they wanted it more than Munster. See? Silly.

Podge_irl

twinytwo wrote: »

:rolleyes: that will only get you so far... you must also have a desire to win otherwise what is the point in playing. I mean by that theory ireland should walk over wales in the 6n's.

And no one but Munster wants to win? Having better players will only get you so far??? Interesting logic.

Really, you think Ireland have better players then Wales and are better coached? Cause I don't.

Micky Dolenz

Serenity Now! wrote: »

Ah because he mentioned the All Blacks I took 'they' as the All Blacks.
Still utterly pish psychology drive though. He'd mean that the New Zealand team last november won because they wanted it more than Munster. See? Silly.

With all due respect, the only thing I can see is you missing the point.

He was illustrating that Munster have a can do attitude, and no matter who plays, will play with pride,passion and the best skill they have.

To be fair it only seems to kick in for the big games.

Example Munster V Montauban in Thomond park, 3 left on the clock and Munster trailing in a game they could have easliy lost. they kept their cool, showed their passion and experiance and won an important match.

I may be wrong but this is the point I think he was trying to make.

twinytwo

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

With all due respect, the only thing I can see is you missing the point.

He was illustrating that Munster have a can do attitude, and no matter who plays, will play with pride,passion and the best skill they have.

To be fair it only seems to kick in for the big games.

Example Munster V Montauban in Thomond park, 3 left on the clock and Munster trailing in a game they could have easliy lost. they kept their cool, showed their passion and experiance and won an important match.

I may be wrong but this is the point I think he was trying to make.

Thank you yes it is

twinytwo

Serenity Now! wrote: »

Reading that line of yours, you are saying that Munster lose important games because they don't want to win...lol


Are you referring to the tour game played over 30 years ago?
Cheers for the sports psychology lesson and a a quantum load of question marks. :rolleyes:

I apologise i ment to say losing important games that they turn around and win....

And no i ment that game during the autumn internationals