EPCR Semi-Final draw

thomond2006

Champions Cup:
Racing Metro vs Saracens
Toulon vs Wasps
Clermont vs Northampton
Leinster vs Bath

Challenge Cup:
Gloucester vs Connacht
London Irish vs Edinburgh
Dragons vs Cardiff Blues
Exeter vs Newcastle

awec

Going to be tough. You definitely don't want Toulon or Clermont, and I honestly don't know about match 1.

aimee1

thomond2006 wrote: »

Champions Cup:
Racing Metro vs Saracens
Toulon vs Wasps
Clermont vs Northampton
Leinster vs Bath

Challenge Cup:
Gloucester vs Connacht
London Irish vs Edinburgh
Dragons vs Cardiff Blues
Exeter vs Newcastle

4 english sides away from home. all 4 could go out

thomond2006

Northampton Saints

Clermont vs Northampton will probably be the best game but Saracens have the best chance of an away win.

Leinster vs Racing (and Sexton) in the Aviva would be something else!

Do they decide who gets home SFs today then too?

Nice draw for Leinster it has to be said.

molloyjh

aimee1 wrote: »

4 english sides away from home. all 4 could go out

Hasn't stopped BT from congratulating the wonderful English clubs.

awec

Sienna Disgusting Ledge wrote: »

Do they decide who gets home SFs today then too?

Nice draw for Leinster it has to be said.

Yes.

It's for home country advantage for the Champions Cup, which for Leinster really just means home advantage anyway.

thomond2006

Northampton Saints

Toulon vs Wasps at home

Toulon or Wasps VS Leinster or Bath

Disaster draw for Leinster!

Kanrith

NOOOOOO!!!!

RuggieBear

toulon in the final again

awec

Unlucky Leinster.

Away to Toulon/Wasps.

thomond2006

Northampton Saints

Toulon / Clermont final so!

.ak

Ugh disaster.

irishbucsfan

Toulon away from home is the biggest possibly challenge in the competition. I say this every year, but that's exactly what we should be hoping for, not hoping to squeeze through on luck.

Really looking forward to the knockouts, two excellent games on the cards for us. EDIT: Obviously the second being dependent on the first!

.ak

Hopefully wasps do a job for us and then we can get madigans kicking boots back for the replay in England.

RuggieBear

to be fair we used up all our luck getting a home quarter.

thomond2006

Northampton Saints

Gloucester or Connacht VS Exeter or Newcastle

Flipper22

Fuuuuuuuuck. Looks set up for another Toulon Clermont final so.

thomond2006

Northampton Saints

London Irish or Edinburgh vs Dragons or Cardiff

Was hoping Connacht would get Dragons or Cardiff. Of course Gloucester is a huge challenge first of all.

NoelJ

That's a disaster of a draw for european rugby. Can't see anything but an all French final.

CatFromHue

Where would Connacht play a home SF does anyone know?

ssaye2

Hopefully win and get sob playing v toulon too tough but possible

thomond2006

Northampton Saints

NoelJ wrote: »

That's a disaster of a draw for european rugby. Can't see anything but an all French final.

There's no way EPCR will be happy with it. I'm sure they hoped for Saracens and Leinster to have the easiest route as they will draw crowds.

Toulon in Marseille/Nice is a better prospect than a QF at Mayol.

aimee1

awec wrote: »

Unlucky Leinster.

Away to Toulon/Wasps.

off to coventry it is, again, hopefully. you never know.

aimee1

CatFromHue wrote: »

Where would Connacht play a home SF does anyone know?

thomond?

ssaye2

thomond2006 wrote: »

There's no way EPCR will be happy with it. I'm sure they hoped for Saracens and Leinster to have the easiest route as they will draw crowds.

Toulon in Marseille/Nice is a better prospect than a QF at Mayol.

True is this comp sf on neutral?

Tox56

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Toulon away from home is the biggest possibly challenge in the competition. I say this every year, but that's exactly what we should be hoping for, not hoping to squeeze through on luck.

Really looking forward to the knockouts, two excellent games on the cards for us. EDIT: Obviously the second being dependent on the first!

No I would rather we squeeze through on luck :pac:

Or at least have home advantage against the best team in the competition, or at the very least play them at a neutral venue (I.e the final)

ktulu123

Wasps

.ak wrote: »

Hopefully wasps do a job for us and then we can get madigans kicking boots back for the replay in England.

hahahahahaha Not a snow balls chance in hell of that happening :P

The only way I can see this not being a Toulon v Clermont final is Leinster or Sarries throw a spanner in the works. Feck sake! You could actually hear the disappointment on Alex Paynes voice(Sky Sports) as he realized it's probably going to be an all French final.

its_phil

CatFromHue wrote: »

Where would Connacht play a home SF does anyone know?

Don't think the venue changes TBH.

ssaye2

Is sf neutral? In this comp?

thomond2006

Northampton Saints

aimee1 wrote: »

thomond?

I don't think the neutral rules apply to the Challenge Cup. They will put in temporary stands in the Sportsground, I think that could bring it to 10k?

ssaye2 wrote: »

True is this comp sf on neutral?

I assume so. If EPCR takes the revenue then they'll lose money if it stays in Mayol.

An Tarbh

CatFromHue wrote: »

Where would Connacht play a home SF does anyone know?

unless there's a capacity issue the game would be played at the Sportsground.

matthew8

The one positive is Toulon are a different animal outside of Mayol. We'll need everyone back from injury but it's not impossible. Yesterday's performance was good, Toulon and Clermont are the only other sides who could take those injuries both before and during the game and get a result.

LuckyGent88

Disaster draw for leinster but would love to see a fully fit leinster against Toulon. Think they would have a great chance of beating them.

ktulu123

Wasps

Where would Toulon hold the semi? Nice?

.ak

Where will Toulon play their semi?

ssaye2

LuckyGent88 wrote: »

Disaster draw for leinster but would love to see a fully fit leinster against Toulon. Think they would have a great chance of beating them.

We have bath first and hopefully toulon or Wasps in a neutral good day imo

P_1

.ak wrote: »

Where will Toulon play their semi?

Nice or Marseille I'd imagine

Richard Hillman

Toulon in Marseilles?

thomond2006

Northampton Saints

ktulu123 wrote: »

Where would Toulon hold the semi? Nice?

.ak wrote: »

Where will Toulon play their semi?

Marseille unless it's not available. Marseille is a much larger ground (67k vs 35k) and it's closer to Toulon than Nice (66km vs 150km). However Ryanair fly Dublin-Nice so Nice would be handier for travelling support.

Plus Toulon played in Marseille last year when the Velodrome was half a building site and now I believe it's finished.

Podge_irl

P_1 wrote: »

Nice or Marseille I'd imagine

Grand so. Few hours drive.

If Leinster can't win in Nice or Marseille they don't deserve to win the cup anyway. It's certainly an easier proposition than playing in Toulon. The QF last year was a lot closer for 50 mins than the final score showed. Leinster will be far from favourites but they were going to need to beat Toulon at some point anyway.

irishbucsfan

Tox56 wrote: »

No I would rather we squeeze through on luck :pac:

Or at least have home advantage against the best team in the competition, or at the very least play them at a neutral venue (I.e the final)

Beating Cardiff in 2012 was an utter non-event. It wasn't enjoyable to attend and it was instantly forgettable. The next round however against Clermont was one of the most memorable games in our history. No disrespect to Ulster but it was even more memorable than the final. I want more of the Bordeaux experience.

If we beat this Toulon team away from home it will probably be the best achievement of any Irish side in Europe. Sure the odds are against us, but we'll never make that type of history if we don't get presented with the chance to do it.

thomond2006

Northampton Saints

Leinster will have to keep the fingers crossed to have a clean bill of health after the Six Nations.

Matt Giteau may need surgery on an ongoing adductor problem. Toulon may have Michalak and Hernandez to come in but neither fully compensate what Giteau offers.

Swiwi.

thomond2006 wrote: »

Marseille unless it's not available. Marseille is a much larger ground (67k vs 35k) and it's closer to Toulon than Nice (66km vs 150km). However Ryanair fly Dublin-Nice so Nice would be handier for travelling support.

Plus Toulon played in Marseille last year when the Velodrome was half a building site and now I believe it's finished.

Hmmm. Might have to get out the old Swiwi-mobile. Leinster v Toulon at Marseille via a scenic roadtrip though France has definite appeal. Or the TGV if I wimp out at driving.

thomond2006

Northampton Saints

Swiwi. wrote: »

Hmmm. Might have to get out the old Swiwi-mobile. Leinster v Toulon at Marseille via a scenic roadtrip though France has definite appeal. Or the TGV if I wimp out at driving.

Call into Avignon and Aix on the way!

Btw I was told last year by a French tourist office not to park the car in Marseille!

Digifriendly

Northampton Saints

Leinster will have to beat Bath first before they think about Toulon and for me this is the most eagerly anticipated of the quarter finals. Bath have a very strong pack and a super set of backs even though they just squeezed through against Glasgow today.

sydthebeat

Saracens

fair few posters here seem to thinks its automatically sarries will beat Racing...... not at all id say, especially with our boy Jonny back pulling the strings.

Philo Beddoe

Wasps

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Beating Cardiff in 2012 was an utter non-event. It wasn't enjoyable to attend and it was instantly forgettable. The next round however against Clermont was one of the most memorable games in our history. No disrespect to Ulster but it was even more memorable than the final. I want more of the Bordeaux experience.

I think the pleasure and pain centres in your brain may have been switched at some stage!

errlloyd

Saracens

Voted Racing Metro first time around, voting them again. Sexton shall guide them through!

Buer

Saracens

sydthebeat wrote: »

fair few posters here seem to thinks its automatically sarries will beat Racing...... not at all id say, especially with our boy Jonny back pulling the strings.

Racing will be very hard to beat. They are the one side that I think could go to Toulon and win. Their pack is monstrous and if Sexton is back and fully fit, they've a real chance of going all the way.

I can't see Saracens beating them. Racing have begun to click now and will overpower Saracens in Paris.

.ak

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Beating Cardiff in 2012 was an utter non-event. It wasn't enjoyable to attend and it was instantly forgettable. The next round however against Clermont was one of the most memorable games in our history. No disrespect to Ulster but it was even more memorable than the final. I want more of the Bordeaux experience.

If we beat this Toulon team away from home it will probably be the best achievement of any Irish side in Europe. Sure the odds are against us, but we'll never make that type of history if we don't get presented with the chance to do it.

Absolutely, but we pasted Cardiff and that kinda gave us a "we can take anyone attitude".

But you're right, I remember booking flights straight away to Bordeaux, or rather doing the whole planes-trains-automobiles thing, and I thought it was a bridge too far for Leinster but if we did it I wanted to be there. Turned out to be the best rugby experience of I've ever had. The win was oh so sweet and it really cemented us as the best squad in Europe. Those are certainly the games you want to win and not just get to the final by default.