Under discussion: The quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup, and what's coming next
Chatting were: Julian Bennetts, Barry Coughlan, Alan Good, Tony Leen, Donal Lenihan, Ian Moriarty
TONY LEEN, Irish Examiner sports editor: Ian, what's the French reaction to the weekend? So much involvement, but what chance now for Perpignan and Toulouse?
IAN MORIARTY, French-based rugby writer: I suppose most French interest was on what was happening in Barcelona at the weekend. Midi Olympique ran a photo of Perpignan prop Perry Freshwater and the phrase 'En Gladiateurs' on the front page. Of course the manner of Toulouse's victory last night was newsworthy in itself, but all eyes here have been on the historic march of the northern Catalans into southern Catalonia.
ALAN GOOD, Irish Examiner rugby writer: Ian, given Toulon's miserable away form and the fact Perpignan took them into the raucous Olympic stadium, were you surprised at the fight they put up?
IAN MORIARTY: I was more impressed with the way Perpignan came back in the second half after such a poor start. They were nervous and Toulon capitalised in the first half. Regarding Toulouse, people get obsessed with the whole French flair thing but it’s their doggedness, their professionalism and that incredible will to succeed which separates them from the rest. They'll be incredibly tough to beat.
TONY LEEN: Still, though, 'home' advantage for Northampton and Leinster in the semis is worth five to seven points.
DONAL LENIHAN, Irish Examiner rugby columnist: Home advantage is huge, especially for Leinster against Toulouse. I think they will be glad Toulouse emerged from that tight squeeze in San Sebastian and that they have the opportunity of reversing what happened at the same stage last season in Toulouse. I think Leinster will relish this one; plus, they are unbeaten in the Aviva Stadium, despite playing Munster, Clermont and Leicester there.
BARRY COUGHLAN, Irish Examiner rugby writer: I agree with Donal. Leinster have a good record and will take heart from that bruising battle against a team like Leicester. Toulouse, on balance, deserved to win, but they look vulnerable too, and remember, if Yachvili had converted that try...
TONY LEEN: While Toulouse will be up against it in the Aviva, their win in San Sebastian was ideal for Guy Noves. They'll possibly come into Dublin somewhat under the radar. Is there one last sting in the dying wasp?
BARRY COUGHLAN: I fancy Leinster, but I wouldn't say Toulouse are akin to a dying wasp either... if they hit a peak they will beat anyone, home or away.
DONAL LENIHAN: You can never write off a team like Toulouse, but they have a lot of injuries at present and the one area where they destroyed Leinster last year - the scrum - has been the area of greatest improvement in their game this season. Mike Ross, take a bow.
TONY LEEN: Donal, you've been an advocate of Ross from the get-go, feeling too many Irish observers were focusing on what he couldn't do rather than what he could..
ALAN GOOD: ...and to add to Tony's point, Ross was more prominent around the pitch than I've ever seen him be on Saturday. Absolutely outshone Dan Cole in every facet.
DONAL LENIHAN: It's all about giving a player a chance and the opportunity to improve. Ross has made a big difference to the scrum, but the confidence he has derived from his contribution in that area is now impacting on the areas where he is supposed to be weak. His ball-carrying and defence have improved, and while he will never be a Cian Healy or Tony Buckley in those aspects, he has brought a lot of positives. Remember, even Leinster didn't use him until the last five minutes against Toulouse last season; too late at that stage.
TONY LEEN: I presume lads that Joe Schmidt just persists with Luke Fitzgerald on the basis that form is temporary, class is permanent. Because at the moment, very little is going right for him...
BARRY COUGHLAN: Poor Luke is having a bad time; my view is he is trying too hard and compounding the little errors by making more. He will come back though.
DONAL LENIHAN: Barry is right. Fitzgerald is a young player experiencing a blip for the first time in his career. Schmidt is investing in the future in working with him, and I am sure that both Leinster and Ireland will benefit in the not too distant future.
IAN MORIARTY: Luke reminds me of what Vincent Clerc went through after coming back from that horrific injury a year or two back. It takes a while to get your confidence back and look the player you once were.
TONY LEEN: Perpignan must go to Milton Keynes for the semi final - Julian Bennetts was there on Sunday for the Examiner. Are Northampton a dangerous looking animal, Julian?
JULIAN BENNETTS, English-based rugby writer: They most certainly are. Speaking to the players after the game yesterday, the common theme was that they feel they have matured. Other sides could have panicked in the first half yesterday, but the Saints knew they were stronger up front and would ultimately win that battle. The defeat to Munster last season could be the making of this team.
ALAN GOOD: Speaking of winning the battle up front, Ulster's BJ Botha had a torrid time in the scrum. I can't imagine Munster fans who are hoping he will solve their scrum difficulties will have been too pleased to see that. Julian, did the move from Franklin's Gardens affect Northampton at all?
JULIAN BENNETTS: Personally, I think the move from the Gardens did make a difference in the first half - there was a superb Ulster turn-out in the stands, and there wasn't the same intimidating atmosphere that you sometimes get in Northampton. Having played there once will have helped Northampton when Perpignan roll into town though (if you can call the ugly, middle-of-nowhere Milton Keynes a town, rather than an expanded retail park, that is).
TONY LEEN: Donal, you are wary of Northampton too?
DONAL LENIHAN: They will pose problems for Perpignan, as they have the capacity to match them up front, while Ben Foden and Chris Ashton are lethal when they get going. To win a Heineken Cup, however, you must have half-backs with the ability to direct and control the game. Leinster have that. I am not at all convinced by Stephen Myler at out-half for Northampton, and that could cost them.
JULIAN BENNETTS: Shane Geraghty was brought in to replace Myler and has failed. Jim Mallinder is trying something similar with Ryan Lamb for next season as well. Pretty clear that his own boss doesn't have full confidence in Myler, and I agree that it could cost them dear.
DONAL LENIHAN: I can tell you Ryan Lamb won't solve that out-half problem either. Gloucester and London Irish can testify to that.
TONY LEEN: Ian, if one of the French sides was to make the final in Cardiff, which one will it be?
IAN MORIARTY: Given Perpignan's record on the road in the Heineken Cup and the fact they have to go to Milton Keynes, it's Toulouse that look the most likely to be honest. I still think Leinster have what it takes to win and they are helped by injuries and a lack of form at Toulouse. But as someone said earlier, you just can't write Toulouse off.
ALAN GOOD: Surely Perpignan will look to the draw they got in Leicester for inspiration there?
IAN MORIARTY: They will, but given their league position and the number of injuries they've shipped recently, I really can't see them overcome a Saints team who look dangerous again.
TONY LEEN: The organisers must be pleased with the semi-final line up for the Amlin. Barry was in Brive on Saturday and while it was good to come away with a win, was the hosts' 37 points down to their creativity or Munster's sloppiness? Or, the elephant in the room, that Munster's ageing legs went in the searing heat?
BARRY COUGHLAN: One intercepted pass allowed Brive back into it when it should have been done and dusted; you sensed that Tony McGahan, while rightly delighted with some of the creativity produced by Munster,was a little peeved they didn't just settle for that 19-point win and nail Brive down in their own half for the last 10 minutes.
ALAN GOOD: Barry, in your report from the Leinster-Munster game you mentioned Munster didn't look like the had the capacity to do damage from their back-line; did Howlett and Earls turn that on its head, or was it just one day in the French sun, and we'll revert to type from here on in?
BARRY COUGHLAN: It was an amazing match; the heat was unbelievable even in the shade in the stand; both teams were out on their feet and I think Munster were jaded in those last 10, but teams on the defensive, hanging on, always look jaded, don't they?
TONY LEEN: Ian, were you surprised at the battle Brive put up?
IAN MORIARTY: Not at all, they've had a few good wins recently in the Top 14 and had copper-fastened their place so Saturday's match was all about giving it a lash - which they did.
ALAN GOOD: When I spoke to Jamie Noon and Shaun Perry in Brive a fortnight or so ago, they had both hinted that if they won the La Rochelle relegation eight-pointer, they'd give Munster a right rattle as they'd be able to approach it in a relatively relaxed manner. That certainly proved to be the case!
BARRY COUGHLAN: They've had some very good results in the Top 14; anyone I spoke to before the match said their biggest problem was being unable to string together two or more wins in succession. It has been up and down all season for them, but they looked pretty good at times on Saturday, and they certainly never gave up.
TONY LEEN: Donal, you know Munster rugby better than anyone. There is a period of transition underway, but how important would a Cardiff Cup success be in that process?
DONAL LENIHAN: It is vital that Munster win the Amlin. Firstly, the likes of Felix Jones and Conor Murray are gaining vital exposure to European rugby. Secondly, I think that the additional finance generated by winning in Europe and hopefully by winning the Magners League as well will allow them to cement the purchase of a quality number 12 and another good ball-carrying back row that will arrive post-World Cup. They are in transition, but winning trophies during that process can only be good in the long run.
TONY LEEN: Would you not be worried by the concession of so many points by McGahan's men, or was it an abberration?
IAN MORIARTY: The bottom line is that some will say that a win over a relegation-threatened Top 14 side isn't up to much. But that Brive game wasn't like when you find disinterested French clubs at the pool stage. Brive wanted that win and they threw everything at Munster.
BARRY COUGHLAN: As far as exhaustion is concerned, and Donal would remember, at least referee Dave Pearson had the cop-on to have a couple of water breaks. The conditions were probably close to dangerous because it was hitting the mid 30's down on the pitch. Remember Donal, when the IRB wouldn't allow anyone on the pitch to give water to players, even if they were out on their feet and half dead!?
DONAL LENIHAN: Hard to believe now the fights I used to have with officials looking for water breaks in conditions like last Saturday. God bless your memory Barry.
JULIAN BENNETTS: Gentlemen, I would be interested to hear your views on Nick Evans - if Munster concede many scoring opportunities to him then he will make them pay. The best fly-half in England, in my view. A player unfortunate to have been born in the same period as Dan Carter.
ALAN GOOD: Couldn't agree more, I love watching Evans play. He has such intelligence and a deceptive turn of pace. The role he played in the 25-phase move that eventually led to his drop goal winning that game against Stade a few seasons ago was a masterclass.
JULIAN BENNETTS: That drop against Stade was, considering the move that preceded it, one of the most astonishing individual pieces of play I have ever seen on a rugby field. Evans is a wonderful player - he never seems ruffled and is one of the few big-name and big-money imports who has justified every last penny of his wages.
TONY LEEN: Returning to Broadway, is it too simplistic to say that the eventual winner will come from the semi at the Aviva. Or is that just as Northampton - or even Perpignan - would like it. I make the point because neither Leinster or Toulouse can look beyond the eighty minutes v each other. It'll be a war. And ideal preparation - potential injuries notwithstanding - for a decider at the Millennium Stadium?
BARRY COUGHLAN: Well Leinster certainly will be ready for a war, after the couple they've been through in the last fortnight, v Munster and v Leicester. If that doesn't prepare them enough for the physical battle with Toulouse, nothing will!
ALAN GOOD: I sometimes get the impression off Toulouse that they are only ever willing to do just enough, and it was the same on Sunday. I think Leinster will have learned from last year and will nail them at the Aviva.
DONAL LENIHAN: I think Leinster and Northampton will face each other in Cardiff. Northampton have the game to trouble Leinster but Joe Schmidt has made an immediate impact on this Leinster squad and I think that they are a better side now than when they won it two years ago. That said, Toulouse will still pose a big obstacle.
TONY LEEN: So name me the four finalists. I'm going Leinster, Saints and Munster v Clermont, even if the latter will be hard pushed to win in Paris - though Stade Charlety looks a right poor venue for a big semi final occasion.
IAN MORIARTY: Something important to remember about Toulouse: they've all but qualified for the Top 14 playoffs so will most probably throw everything into the Leinster match. But even if they win that, all could change depending on how they get on in the Top 14 playoffs. Both competitions are a constant experiment in the balance of priorities.
JULIAN BENNETTS: Alan, I agree. I left Miton Keynes yesterday with Toulouse 14 points clear, and couldn't believe they let it slip. Leinster would not have made the same mistake, I imagine.
BARRY COUGHLAN: I go Leinster v Northampton, Munster v Stade Francais (home advantage for Stade to count, even though Clermont look the more rounded team).
ALAN GOOD: I'm going with Leinster v Saints and Clermont v Munster as well. The latter would be some curtain-raiser for the main event wouldn't it!
DONAL LENIHAN: Leinster and Northampton for me as I have stated already, and Munster, after being pushed all the way by Harlequins, to meet Clermont in the Amlin final. That game could be every bit as good as the Heineken final itself.
JULIAN BENNETTS: Leinster v Northampton for me as well. Saints will be just too strong in their semi-final - Tonga'uiha amazes me every time I see him. And Munster v Clermont in my eyes.
IAN MORIARTY: I'd follow Barry's pairing. Clermont are way off last season.
ALAN GOOD: Stade don't exactly look a million dollars though either Ian?
IAN MORIARTY: You're right but a home draw might be enough to push them through. And Cheika is hungry for some light at the end of the tunnel.
ALAN GOOD: Not to mention another chance to put one over Munster!
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/OAdm0ldA_xg/post.aspx
Shaun Bartlett Virginia Bolton Wanderers Snowboarding Nuclear waste Peter Crouch
No comments:
Post a Comment