Heinken Cup Draw

[DuncTheDoodle]

Live on the ERC website tommorow from 11AM. Can't wait to get the date of my next trip to Welford Road confirmed. You know it's going to happen.

 

[MunsterMan]

http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/121_15728.php

 

[Gavin]

The stream on the website is pretty awful.

 

[MunsterMan]

Pool 1 - Cardiff, Northampton Saints, Edinburgh, Castres
Pool 2 - Leinster, Clermont, Saracens, Racing Metro
Pool 3 - Munster, Ospreys, L Irish, Toulon
Pool 4 - Biarritz, Bath, Ulster, Aironi
Pool 5 - Leicester Tigers, Scarlets, Perpignan, Treviso
Pool 6 - Toulouse, Wasps, Glasgow, Dragons

 

[Feicarsinn]

Pool 2 and 3 are fantastic. Pool 2 has the 2009 champions, the French champions, the English runners up and the latest french moneybags. Pool 3 brings twice winners Munster, the ML champions, a solid English team and France's most improved team. Pool 1 is pretty epic too actually.

I'm going to put my reputation on the line early on and say that Northampton, Clermont, Munster, Biarrtiz, Leicester, Toulouse, Perpignan and Ulster for the quarters.

 

[munstermuffin]

Well lads must say this is probably 1 of hardest groups Munster will have faced so far.
Toulon are spending big. The Ospreys are going to be confident after winning ML final in Dublin and well London Irish will always be a team that can compete and beat ne1 on there day

 

[Gleision]

A good group for the Blues i think they should go through hopefully as winners.Tough for the ospreys though,but they should get some good crowds for them games.

 

[Gleision]

Who are Airioni??Lol

 

[lynam1104]

Airioni are a Itlayn team going into the ML next season i think, the pools 2 and 3 are going to be like emm witch pool had Leicester Clemont and Ospays this year pool 5 was it? not sure but on form the teams in those pools are great.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Looking at it from a positive point of view, Paris is a much nicer away trip than Llanelli. Saracens, Racing Metro and Clermont Auvergne is a brutal draw though.

I suppose if you want to be the best team in Europe, you have to beat all comers.

 

[munstermuffin]

Will put money on now that winner of heineken cup will be from group 2 or 3

 

[Conal]

ulster could well get second place be great to get to 1/4 finals again

 

[Feicarsinn]

Will put money on now that winner of heineken cup will be from group 2 or 3

Why? Sure they have tough groups, but come quarter final time it won't really stand to them. They last few European champions have come out of fairly easy groups all things considered. I'd also be very careful before writing off the likes of Leicester, Toulouse, Northampton, Cardiff and Perpignan.

 

[munstermuffin]

Not writing anyone off and personally I think Toulouse have it much tougher than others expect.
But Munster won in 08 after very tough group but I just think whoever comes out of them group will be battle hardened but also will have the confidence as well as the class to push on and deliver

 

[Feicarsinn]

Not writing anyone off and personally I think Toulouse have it much tougher than others expect.
But Munster won in 08 after very tough group but I just think whoever comes out of them group will be battle hardened but also will have the confidence as well as the class to push on and deliver

Well I see where you're coming from but I doubt it will make that much of a difference what pool a team comes out of. You argue they'll be battle hardened, I say more likely to pick up injuries. Domestic rugby also has a huge bearing on things. For example, if Racing Metro are struggling to make the playoff is the Top 14 they'll likely to devote more resources to the league at the neglect of Europe in order to keep in with a shout at the French ***le. Similarly domestic rugby has a big affect on confidence. Bath were a completely different team in March than in October and if Ulster had had to play them then I doubt they would have done so well.

There are really too many variables to factor in at this point.

 

[munstermuffin]

Agreed that there are pros and cons for everyone

 

[dullonien]

I think the opposite of munstermuffin. All teams in pools 2 and 3 are likely to take points off each other, and with no Italian team to rack up the points they're unlikely to qualify for a home quarter final. We all know that's a hugely important factor in the HC. There are no easy pools this year atall, so I have no idea who'll make it through from each.

 

[durbutter]

Anyone else think that the new Italian clubs are in a good position to cause chaos?

They've concentrated their resources and have better squads than ever before, its their first year and they've nothing to lose and other teams are bound to take them lightly.

 

[DuncTheDoodle]

Horrible, horrible pool for the Ospreys. Not looknig forward to it. Nor the inevitable trip to Welfard Road to see Stephen Jones and his plucky bunch get stuffed.

 

[munstermuffin]

Dullonien I really think that the days of expecting a bonus point win against the Italian opposition is gone as they'll be better with been a more combined unit and playing in ML.