It’s snow fun: Leicester winger Niall Morris falls just short against Toulouse

by Paul Cook –

Reigning champions Leinster have been knocked out of the Heineken Cup despite recording a bonus point win on a weather affected last weekend of the group stages. With arctic conditions hitting most of the UK & Ireland and a blanket of snow covering many pitches, the remaining four Quarter-Finals spots were decided by a series of ‘knock-out’ style tussles.

In the end it was Saracens, Munster, Leicester, and Montpellier who came through to join the already qualified Harlequins, Clermont Auvergne, Toulon and Ulster, leaving five teams in the final eight that have never contested a Heineken Cup Final, let alone lifted the trophy.

Leinster did all they could possibly do to help their cause on Saturday, a four try blitz earning maximum points at Exeter Chiefs in Pool 5 with the talismanic Brian O’Driscoll crossing for the 32nd time in his Heineken Cup career. It was then a case of sitting back and keeping their fingers crossed for other results to go their way. They didn’t.

Leinster’s win was not enough to see them through to the knock-out stages this year

It’s the first time since 2008 that Leinster have failed to reach the Quarter-Finals, a fact that was made even harder for them to stomach as it was arch-rivals Munster who pipped them at the post. Knowing what they had to do to sneak home, the champions of 2006 and 2008 held their nerve to despatch Racing Metro 92 by 29-6, a Simon Zebo hat-trick inspiring the requisite bonus point win in front of an ecstatic Thomond Park crowd.

That sewed up the runners-up spot in Pool 1 behind Saracens who were thumping Edinburgh 40-7 at the same time and left the two Irish giants locked on 20pts each. The Munstermen progressed by dint of their greater try scoring prowess in the pool stages – 15 to Leinster’s 12 – and the Dubliners recent domination of the trophy was over. The margins are tight at the business end of elite competition.

Leicester won the battle of the heavyweights in a near blizzard against Toulouse that was as tight and tense as the 9-5 scoreline suggests. The two clubs have won a third of all Heineken Cups between them and with the loser guaranteed an early exit from this year’s competition, Welford Road was no place for the feint hearted.

On a surface more suited to cross-country skiing (50 tonnes of snow were removed from the pitch in the preceding 48hrs), it was the Tigers pragmatism that came to the fore in the first half as the boot of Toby Flood sent them 9-0 clear at the break. Toulouse struck back early in the second half with an unconverted try to winger Yoann Huget and they certainly had their chances to claim a famous win but Leicester’s stout defence held firm and four missed penalties across the 80 minutes from Lionel Beauxis and Luke McAlister, ultimately snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

It is only the fourth time in the eighteen year history of the competition that it’s most successful custodians have failed to progress from the group stages but French rugby can still fly it’s flag high as Montpellier snatched the remaining ‘best runners-up spot’ to join Clermont Auvergne and Toulon in the last eight.

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It was countrymen Toulon – already assured of top spot in Pool 6 – that were Montpellier’s fall guys on Saturday, a Jonny Wilkinson penalty offering scant resistance to scrum-half Benoît Paillaugue’s 20pt haul, which lifted the home side to a 23-3 victory. They will now travel 3hrs up the road in the Quarter-Finals to face Clermont, who wrapped up their 100% record in Pool 5 with a 29-0 demolition of Scarlets. Their back-to-back wins over Leinster in December proved pivotal to both team’s differing fortunes.

Elsewhere, Northampton continued their inconsistent season with a shock defeat at Glasgow in Pool 4 which not only ended their Heineken Cup interest for another year, it also cost them the consolation prize of a place in the Amlin Challenge Cup as well. Having recorded successive wins over Ulster (the only team to win at Ravenhill in any competition this season) and Castres, the Saints were looking favourable to achieve the bonus point victory required in order to stand any chance of progression.

Leading 10-6 at half-time, they had plenty still to do in the second half if they were to pull off a miracle, however, with 15 minutes remaining, it was the Warriors who had edged to a 20-15 advantage. A try from England full-back Ben Foden levelled the scores and it seemed as though the Amlin trophy draw was all that would await the Saints before replacement Peter Horne weaved his way to the line in the final minute for a famous Glasgow victory that broke Northampton hearts and put a much needed smile on the face of Scottish rugby.

Heineken Cup Quarter-Finals

Harlequins (ENG) v Munster (IRE)

Clermont Auvergne (FRA) v Montpellier (FRA)

Toulon (FRA) v Leicester (ENG)

Saracens (ENG) v Ulster (IRE)

Amlin Challenge Cup Quarter-Finals

Bath (ENG) v Stade Francais (FRA)

Gloucester (ENG) v Biarritz (FRA)

London Wasps (ENG) v Leinster (IRE)

Perpignan (FRA) v Toulouse (FRA)

Ties to be played on the weekend commencing Saturday 6th April