Heineken Cup Doesn't Disappoint

It was the best line up that we have ever seen in the quarter finals, the worry was that it would not live up to the hype. We needn’t have worried as the Heineken Cup once again showed that it brings the best out of the top players.

Munster kicked the weekend off with a phenomenal performance, beating Toulouse 47-23. The Thomond Park effect did seem to help the hosts as Toulouse didn’t get near Munster during the first half. The driving maul was used to devastating effect by Munster as they charged forward time and time again.

Toulouse didn’t get a chance to play until early in the second half, when they were already 27-9 down. However, some of the passages of play that they did put together were full of the French flair that we come to expect. Munster managed to repel these attacks and cut loose in the last twenty minutes, scoring three tries.

It was a classy Munster performance which puts them into a semi-final with Toulon as they dispatched Leinster comfortably 29-14. The power of Toulon showed throughout as Leinster never got into their game. Man of the match, Steffon Armitage was a thorn it Leinster’s side as he disrupted them continually and the breakdown, preventing quick ball.

For all the effort Leinster put in, mistakes seemed inevitable and missed 26 tackles. This was compounded by many errors throughout. Both sides threw several forward passes and knocked on time after time. However, many of the mistakes were down to the sheer intensity of the game. It was a club match played at international intensity, unsurprising with the talent on show.

Leinster came up against a Toulon side at the top of their game. The performance of the French is ominous for the other three sides remaining in the competition as they will take some stopping.

The second semi-final will be played between Saracens and Clermont. Clermont hung on to beat another English side in the quarters. Leicester were 16-0 down to the French giants after 34 minutes, and their future in Europe looked bleak. A virtuoso performance from Owen Williams dragged Leicester back into the game, with three penalties and a cross kick to set up the try. Owen Williams must have forced his way into contention for a Welsh spot with his Heineken Cup performances this year.

Momentum with Leicester it looked like Clermont might finally lose at Parc Marcel Michelin. The unnecessary sin-binning of Thomas Waldrom stopped this momentum and allowed Clermont to regain control of the game. The French Behemoths continue their European adventure and this could be the year they finally fulfil the potential that they have in the squad.

Standing between Clermont and the final in Cardiff will be Saracens who edged past 14-man Ulster on Saturday. The game was changed four minutes in when Jared Payne was sent off for taking Alex Goode in the air. The sending off was seen as harsh as there was no malice in the challenge with Payne’s eyes on the ball all the way.

From that moment on it was a different game but Ulster performed admirably in the difficult circumstances. They should not have been in the game against a side of Saracens quality but they defended brilliantly allowing Ruan Pienaar and Paddy Jackson to chip into the Sarries lead. Ruan Pienaar himself epitomised how hard Ulster were working as he played the first 50 minutes whilst clearly in discomfort and having recovered fully from his shoulder injury.

Ulster should not have been in the in game as it went into extra-time, but they went through phase after phase looking for just one more penalty. However, Saracens kept their discipline and on the 35^th face they won a penalty of their own to finally put an end to a bruising encounter. A telling image was the celebration of the Saracens players; they showed how difficult the game had been. In itself that shows just how good the Ulster performance had been.

It was another classic weekend it the Heineken cup and every rugby fan will be very thankful that Europe is ‘sorted’ for next year and a competition will exist. Weekends like this show what is so good about Northern Hemisphere rugby.