Heineken Cup Quarter Finals 2009
European Rugby Last Eight Fixtures
This year’s Heineken Rugby Cup quarter finals have three English sides, two Welsh and Irish and a single team from France. Who will take another step closer to the final at Murrayfield.
Cardiff Blues v Toulouse – Millennium Stadium
Cardiff were the form team of the pool stages winning all their games and finishing as top seeds. They have continued their form post six nations with an impressive win over Northampton to put them through to the EDF final.
Toulouse are three time winners of the competition and always dangerous. They have a host of stars, but didn’t have a good campaign in the pool stages. After a narrow home win over eventual group winners Bath, they lost at home to Glasgow and then drew 3-3 in a rain sodden game in Bath.
They are, however, top of the tough French Top 14 league.
Cardiff to make home advantage count.
Leicester Tigers v Bath Rugby – Walkers Stadium
Leicester Tigers are the Heineken Cup’s ultimate competitors and are always dangerous in the knockout stages. The Tigers won a tight group despite losing games to both Perpignan and the Ospreys.
Bath qualified courtesy ahead of Toulouse courtesy of an extra bonus point with both teams having an identical record. They have an exciting set of backs but can be suspect in defence as Glasgow found, almost rescuing a famous victory at the Recreation Ground with two tries in the last few minutes.
There’s nothing to choose between the two in the Guinness Premiership. Leicester have just gone top and Bath 3rd, each having beaten the other this season.
Leicester’s greater experience and nous to be the difference between the two sides.
Munster v Ospreys – Thomond Park
Defending champions and perennial qualifiers for the quarter finals, Munster are a formidable force at Thomand Park. The ELV’s may have blunted their rolling maul, but their monster pack still squeezes the life out of the opposition. Add Ronan O’Gara’s kicking and the feel good factor of an Irish Grand Slam and they are a frightening proposition.
The Ospreys have a squad to have rugby lovers drooling. Shane Williams, Lee Byrne, Gavin Henson, Ryan Jones, yet they consistently underperform. Their recent loss to Gloucester in the EDF Cup semi-final was a case in point. The Ospreys totally dominated the game, but they contrived to lose it 19-0.
Ospreys to regret coming second in the group.
Harlequins v Leinster - Twickenham
The Harlequins came through a fairly soft group with Llanelli Scarlets gifting them a win at Stradey Park after leading 19-3 at half time and Stade Francais doing their usual trick of only playing when the game’s in Paris. Take nothing away from the Quins though. They played good rugby, with their only reverse coming against Ulster in Belfast, with a particularly good win over Stade in front of 76,000 at the Stade de France.
Domestically, Quins are doing well too, second by a point to Leicester Tigers in the Guinness Premiership.
If Munster are the team of the people, Leinster are the glamour boys from Dublin. Leinster qualified ahead of a very competitive Wasps team and with a strong contingent from the Irish national side, led by the resurgent Brian O’Driscoll will be difficult to beat.
Leinster are chasing Munster at the top of the Magners league table, but their recent heavy loss to the Limerick team leaves them a long way behind. This isn’t the ideal preparation for their match with Harlequins, but the class in their backs should be enough to see them through.
Leinster to be the only away winners in the quarter finals.
Ospreys Prop Adam Jones
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