Luck of the draw
Last updated: 25th January 2008
It has been the year of the unfancied sides in the Heineken Cup this year as some of the familiar faces we are accustomed to seeing in the latter stages failed to make the cut.
The likes of Leicester, Wasps and Stade Francais failed to escape their pools and instead sides like Ospreys, Cardiff Blues and London Irish have taken their places in the last eight of Europe's premier rugby competition.
The lop-sided nature of the seedings for the pool stages has been criticised in some quarters, but eight teams now remain and will fight it out for a place in the final in Cardiff when the competition resumes in April.
All the clubs know their potential route to the final after the semi-final draw was made in Cardiff earlier this week and The Rugby Club went along to gauge reaction to the draw.
MUNSTER
Having come through the toughest group of all, Munster must travel to face Gloucester in the last eight and if they win that they will play away from home in the semi-final as well - against Saracens or Ospreys. The luck of the draw has certainly not been with them this season.
Jim Williams (assistant coach): They certainly need to look at the seeding system. It's very difficult to have teams of that quality in the one pool and something has to be done about it. I don't know what, but I suppose they will look at it.
Some people will say that experience is a huge thing and certainly Munster have got that, but you've got to have the gameplan and the quality of player on the pitch. We're going to have a lot of people away at the Six Nations, so it will be a huge responsibility to keep the momentum going. We've got to have the quality of player there to compete firstly in the quarter final.
CARDIFF BLUES
Like Munster, Cardiff will have to play away from home twice if they are to reach the final. They play their quarter-final in Toulouse and victory would set up a semi-final at London Irish or Perpignan. It's a tough task and they are 20/1 outsiders, but at least the final is in Cardiff - if they get there.
Dai Young (director of rugby): It's a competition and the draw will be this way until somebody comes up with a better system. I can't see a better system, but I understand the frustrations that the best eight don't always get through.
If we got to the final we would deserve it because we've got to do it the hard way, playing two games away from home. We don't seem to be having much luck with the draw, but at the end of the day you've got to make your own luck.
LONDON IRISH
London Irish are at home to Perpignan in the last eight and that clash could be fiery after the two sides came to blows during the pool stage in December. Perpignan captain Perry Freshwater hit out at Kieran Roche and the Exiles flanker was hospitalised with a fractured eye socket, ruling him out for several weeks. A victory for the Exiles would set up another home clash against Toulouse or Cardiff Blues.
Bob Casey (club captain): My heart skipped a tiny bit when the draw was made. You dare to dream and it has been brilliant so far. We'll worry about the quarter-final first and it has been an adventure for this London Irish side. We're not a fashionable side in Europe, but we're putting ourselves on the map and we deserve to be where we are.
I wouldn't say there is grudge with Perpignan, but I was very disappointed with what happened to one of our key players Kieran Roche. He's a valuable member of our squad and you don't like to see things like that happen. But it's a quarter-final of a Heineken Cup, it's a serious occasion for London Irish that day and we'll be focused on rugby and nothing else.
GLOUCESTER
Dean Ryan's side host much-fancied Munster in the quarter-finals, and would then travel to face Saracens or Ospreys in the last four. Their style doesn't necessarily suit winter conditions, so they will be hoping for better weather when the competition begins again in April.
Dean Ryan (head coach): We'd like to think it gets a little bit harder under foot in April and allows us to move a little bit. But we've got memories of a play-off final in May when it was chucking it down with rain. So there are no guarantees in April in this country! We've got to adapt and learn and do different things when we are faced with that. That is all part of our development as a group.
TOULOUSE
The French side are the clear 7/4 favourites and have been playing some magnificent rugby in the Heineken Cup this season. They will expect to beat Cardiff Blues at home in the quarter-finals and that would set up an away clash against London Irish or, intriguingly, against French rivals Perpignan.
Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (scrum half): I'd prefer London Irish in the semi-finals because Perpignan v Toulouse is a classic game in the French Championship. London Irish are a good team, but we'd like to play them because we had two successes against them last year.
PERPIGNAN
The French side have reached the knockout stages twice in seven years, but tantalisingly have never been at home. This year, they must travel to meet London Irish in the quarter-finals and that is almost certain to be a heated occasion after the Kieran Roche affair. But a win in that match would potentially set up a semi-final in Barcelona against Toulouse.
Perry Freshwater (prop): I'd like to think any game we're involved in is a little bit edgy. We're learning to be at the limit and discipline has always been a big thing with us - to adjust to certain referees and different competitions.
But we can't lose our edge, we are a fairly abrasive side and we have to make sure we are still a pain in the arse and still be effective. There's no point having a fantastic discipline record and not being effective at all.
SARACENS
Saracens made it through as number one seeds and have accordingly received a fairly kind draw. They will be at home in both the quarter-final (against Ospreys) and also the semi-final (against Gloucester or Munster) if they get that far.
Alan Gaffney (director of rugby): People asked at the outset who was going to win the competition - and I didn't even know who was going to win the pool. I wouldn't have got most of them right in retrospect, so I really don't know who is going to win the Heineken Cup. A lot of these sides are fairly adept at winning away from home. So although home advantage is there, a lot of the sides have the ability to win away from home.
OSPREYS
Opsreys are away from home against Saracens in their first ever Heineken Cup quarter-final, but they would potentially play in Wales for the semi-final (against Gloucester or Munster) and then the final.
Lyn Jones (head coach): It adds an extra incentive knowing we would be at home in the semis. I'm sure when the news of the draw gets out there will be a lot of excited people out there. The players will have a chat and they will be the most excited of all, but it will give the fixture against Saracens an extra little bit of spice.
Click on the video above to see what our Golf Night experts make of the Heineken Cup season so far...
- Video
