HEC 1/4 final

[Maz]

So the group match are finish and give that :

Saracens (ANG/n°1) - Ospreys (PDG/n°8 )
London Irish (ANG/n°2) - Perpignan (n°7)
Gloucester (ANG/n°3) - Munster (IRL/n°6)
Toulouse (n°4) - Cardiff (PDG/n°5)

1 énormus game for me : Gloucester (ANG/n°3) - Munster (IRL/n°6) it is amazing 2 of the 3 favorit for me

and is good for Toulouse the last of the 3 big favorit :bana:

Good luck for all !

 

[shtove]

So, two French teams in the semis. The others are a flip of the coin.

 

[Prestwick]

Don't under-estimate London Irish. Remember that they did beat Perpignan easily at the Mad Stad earlier in their group.

They didn't top their group by accident you know.

I think the Ospreys are going to find it difficult against the Saracens pack. If Jack and Russell can make some more of their barnstorming runs we'll spring a surprise on the cocky chaps from Neath.

 

[Incredible Schalk]

Don't under-estimate London Irish. Remember that they did beat Perpignan easily at the Mad Stad earlier in their group.

They didn't top their group by accident you know.

I think the Ospreys are going to find it difficult against the Saracens pack. If Jack and Russell can make some more of their barnstorming runs we'll spring a surprise on the cocky chaps from Neath.
[/b]

Didnt Perpignan beat them even more easily at home than Irish did.

aggregate was Irish 30 Perpignan 39

 

[stormmaster1]

Don't under-estimate London Irish. Remember that they did beat Perpignan easily at the Mad Stad earlier in their group.

They didn't top their group by accident you know.

I think the Ospreys are going to find it difficult against the Saracens pack. If Jack and Russell can make some more of their barnstorming runs we'll spring a surprise on the cocky chaps from Neath. [/b]

Hope Sarries do it. Could go either way, just depends whih sides plays to their potential.

 

[Incredible Schalk]

So the group match are finish and give that :

Saracens (ANG/n°1) - Ospreys (PDG/n°8 )
London Irish (ANG/n°2) - Perpignan (n°7)
Gloucester (ANG/n°3) - Munster (IRL/n°6)
Toulouse (n°4) - Cardiff (PDG/n°5)

1 énormus game for me : Gloucester (ANG/n°3) - Munster (IRL/n°6) it is amazing 2 of the 3 favorit for me

and is good for Toulouse the last of the 3 big favorit :bana:

Good luck for all !
[/b]

Plenty of the big name missing,Stade,Leicester and Leinster all out. I think from those game the Ospreys,Perpignan,Glouscester and Tolouse will go through. Mind you the first 3 game will be extremely close, the last one will be a fairly comfortable win for Toulouse i feel.

 

[pikedoo]

I think toulouse will win this year's heineken cup

 

[Prestwick]

<div class='quotemain'>
Don't under-estimate London Irish. Remember that they did beat Perpignan easily at the Mad Stad earlier in their group.

They didn't top their group by accident you know.

I think the Ospreys are going to find it difficult against the Saracens pack. If Jack and Russell can make some more of their barnstorming runs we'll spring a surprise on the cocky chaps from Neath.
[/b]

Didnt Perpignan beat them even more easily at home than Irish did.

aggregate was Irish 30 Perpignan 39 [/b][/quote]

Not quite, it was distorted by Irish sustaining a few injuries at Perpignan. Considering that they still managed to struggle through to top the damn group confirms that they have an equal chance of getting to the Semis.

 

[RC]

Bah!
The Os will win this competition with their eyes closed!



















....oh, unless saracens beat us, of course. :unsure:

 

[Prestwick]

Bah!
The Os will win this competition with their eyes closed!
[/b]

 

[dullonien]

As always when the Heineken cup get's to the quarters, it's the closest thing to international standard. I'm backing the O's to beat Sarries........just. I just think they now have the pack (especially second and back rows) to beat them. My Welsh optimism getting me to that conclusion though!

London Irish v Perpignan is going to be close. I'll go for Perpignan to pip it.

Gloucester v Munster will be a Munster win imo. Gloucester just don't have the pack to go any further. Munster are masters at stopping sides play, and seeing the kicking up front the O's gave them at the Liberty, it's the only result I can see happening.

Tolouse v Cardiff will proberly result in a win for Tolouse. I'm not completely ruling out Cardiff (there's that optimism again), I believe that they are capable of ruining the party. Their back row looks like one of the best in Europe, Martyn Williams playing as good as ever, Rush a powerhouse and Molatika an absolute workaholic. When they get Nicky Robinson it'll make a huge defference. He has the ability to unlock any defence with his passing. Tolouse are in mighty form though!

 

[shtove]

Those are eight good teams.

In terms of talent, Toulouse are the stand outs and could dominate like Wasps did last year.

But experience and character will be crucial - on that score London Irish are suspect, Gloucester a bit iffy, Saracens an unknown quantity. In short, an English team will win it!

 

[An Tarbh]

I'd wait till Tuesday and see how the semi-final draw pans out before calling it, a home draw for Toulouse and they should take the trophy. Somehow methinks that Munster and Gloucester will conveniently get an away draw for the semis.

 

[stormmaster1]

Of the 4 QFs, the only match where i can't see an away win is Toulouse, but then you never know. I think it's going to be a big test of the English sides, with only one of the 3 having looked like winning a trophy the past few years.

 

[Prestwick]

I'd wait till Tuesday and see how the semi-final draw pans out before calling it, a home draw for Toulouse and they should take the trophy. Somehow methinks that Munster and Gloucester will conveniently get an away draw for the semis. [/b]

Well it'll be a little difficult for Munster to have a 'home' Semi Final, neither they nor Gloucester have a stadium big enough to meet the ERC regulations for a semi final so they'll have to hold it somewhere else in the UK.

More fun and games at the Walkers & Ricoh stadium anyone? Or will we see Munster snap up the Emirates Stadium and make tomorrow's 28,000 Thomond Park atmosphere a reality today?

 

[An Tarbh]

well I was having another think about this and I remember that Munster played Castres in Béziers and that stadium was only about 18000 capacity so maybe the RDS is a runner for Munster, although it's all speculation at this stage, I'm sure they'll get the away draw like both provinces did last year. I'm sure there'll be murmurings of Croke Park but I'm not sure if that's really a starter.

 

[Prestwick]

Nope, the RDS ground is only 18,000. Thats two thousand short of what the ERC regulations state.

I think the GAA only had an agreement with the IRFU to use Croke for internationals for the duration of the construction of Lansdowne road.

The ERC are apparently going to decide tomorrow where the semi-finals are going to be. Regardless of whats happening, the semi-finals must take place at a neutral venue which...er...flies in the face of what happened last year...

 

[An Tarbh]

Well my point was that Castres got away with it so what with the ERC's record in placating to Irish sides I'm sure they'd make yet another concession.

 

[Prestwick]

Pfft doubt it. You're forgetting that Castres are French. They would have just gone ahead with it regardless of what the ERC had said.

 

[An Tarbh]

Well you're forgetting what happened last week