Tigers Target The Treble

England prop Graham Rowntree has revealed that the double European champions want two of their most famous sons to bow out as three-times winners at Murrayfield on Sunday, 22 May. That will be the extra motivation the Tigers will bring with them to Dublin on Saturday when they try to stop Leinster's unbeaten in this season's Heineken Cup at a packed Lansdowne Road.
"It's all there for us this season. We've reached the quarter-finals, we've got some key players and our coach leaving at the end of the campaign and we've got all the determination in the world," said Rowntree.
"I just feel it is our time. We owe it to people like Martin Johnson, Neil Back and John Wells to send them off in the best possible way. It would also be a reward for our fans. It has been a bit embarrassing in recent years with no trophies and it would be great to give them something to shout about.
"The Heineken Cup was important when I first started playing in Europe, but now it is the Holy Grail to all the players. It was great to be involved in Europe in those early days because it was something new and exciting, but these days it is a financial must for clubs."
Rowntree has been at the heart of Leicester's amazing European run and was the first player at the club to qualify for an ERC Elite Award for making 50 appearances. Former England and Lions skipper Johnson will reach that milestone at Lansdowne Road at the weekend, while Back needs to go all the way to the final to join them.
Johnson and Rowntree were in the Leicester pack that went to Dublin in October 1996 and beat Leinster 27-10 in their first European outing. Since then the sides have played a further five times, with honours even at three wins apiece.
"I can still remember the first game we played in the Heineken Cup on a Wednesday night at Lansdowne Road. It was a bit of a journey into the unknown then, but it was a fantastic occasion - and I scored a try," recalled Rowntree.
"I don't think anyone thought then that we would be filling international grounds for quarter-final matches nine years later.
"I've had some good and some bad times at Lansdowne Road, including England's defeat in the Six Nations this season. It can be an intimidating place to play, but it is also an inspirational arena when it's full. We'll have a lot of fans there and it is testimony to the two teams that it is going to be a full house.
"Playing away from home, and against a side as talented as Leinster, will bring out the best in us. We thrive on a challenge - Leinster are unbeaten and we have had a good season. I can't see a weakness in their side.
"They are supposed to have struggled up front against Bath, but they still came through and beat them twice. They have no weaknesses and it's all there for them to achieve this season with home draws in the quarters and semis if they get through."