European Club Rugby : Big guns ready to roar

Big guns ready to roar

27 January 2010, 11:17 am

Munster have qualified for the Heineken Cup knock-out stages for a record 12th straight season - and between them the 2009/10 quarter-finalists have amassed 52 quarter-final appearances.

Leo Cullen, the Captain off the defending champions, said: "First up for us is Clermont and if we can get past them then we will start looking at the challenge of facing either Toulouse or Stade Français Paris.

"The quality of the teams left in the Heineken Cup is just unbelievable and this season the French teams have really hit back with their clubs winning four of the six Pools.

"It has brought a French feel to the tournament and you have to say they are looking pretty formidable, particularly with the prospect for them of playing in the final in Paris in May."

With four French clubs still in contention for the final at Stade de France on Saturday, 22 May, that equals the previous best for a nation. France did it in 1998/99, when Colomiers, Perpignan, Stade Français Paris and Toulouse reached the last eight, while England were the first to do it a year earlier when Bath Rugby, Harlequins, Leicester Tigers and London Wasps contested the quarter-finals.

For Biarritz Olympique it will be quarter-final No 6 while Northampton Saints are through for a fifth time with the Ospreys and ASM Clermont Auvergne qualifying from the Pool stages for the third time.

Laurent Rodriguez, Biarritz’s Olympique Director Of Rugby said: “The quarter-finals will be like entering a new competition, it will be on the same level as the biggest international Test matches and all the teams will have their chance – anyone could win.

“As for our potential semi-final adversaries, Munster or Northampton, they play rugby in a very committed and physical style. They both show impressive warrior values and Northampton are as capable as Munster.”

There for an 11th time in the 15th season of the tournament are Toulouse with Stade Français Paris making their eighth quarter-final appearances and defending champions Leinster their seventh.

And the man who has been at the helm of Toulouse for all those years, Guy Noves, says this season is as tough as it has ever been

“There are eight teams of a very high calibre left in the competition. We will face Stade Français – who are definitely part of that category – and who have been impressive. Obviously we know them well and the quarter-final promises to look like one of the many games we’ve played against one another.

“It doesn’t get better than this and if we want to be European champions again we will have to beat big teams – though first we need to focus on the quarters because beating Paris won’t be a picnic!”
Munster have qualified for the Heineken Cup knock-out stages for a record 12th straight season - and between them the 2009/10 quarter-finalists have amassed 52 quarter-final appearances.
And
HEINEKEN CUP 2009/10 QUARTER-FINALS
(To be played 9 / 10 / 11 April)

Munster v Northampton Saints
Biarritz Olympique v Ospreys
Toulouse v Stade Français Paris
Leinster v ASM Clermont Auvergne

HOW THEY QUALIFIED
1. Munster - Pool 1 winners (24 points, 19 tries)
2. Biarritz Olympique - Pool 2 winners (23 points, 19 tries)
3. Toulouse - Pool 5 winners (23 points, 13 tries)
4. Leinster - Pool 6 winners (22 points, 19 tries)
5. ASM Clermont Auvergne - Pool 3 winners (21 points, 24 tries)
6. Stade Français Paris - Pool 4 winners (18 points, 11 tries)
7. Ospreys (Best runner-up) - Pool 3 runner-up (20 points, 21 tries)
8. Northampton Saints (Second best runner-up) - Pool 1 runner-up (19 points, 16 tries)

Heineken Cup Pool runners-up who qualified for the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals:
1. Cardiff Blues (Third best Pool runner-up) - Pool 5 runner-up (18 points, 14 tries)
2. Gloucester Rugby (Fourth best Pool runner-up) - Pool 2 runner-up (17 points, 12 tries, -10 pts diff)
3. Scarlets (Fifth best Pool runner-up) - Pool 6 runner-up (17 points, 12 tries, -31 points diff)