Vintage year for sparkling competition

LIKE a good French wine, the Heineken Cup, has improved with age.

Last weekend all four quarter-finals were played in front of capacity crowds with a fervour that is unrivalled, even in the international game.

What makes this competition special is the parochial nature of the participants. Whether you hail from Llanelli or Munster, Biarritz or Toulouse, this tournament has captured the imagination of the community.

Of the remaining four participants, only Wasps lack this local fervour.

Great credit is due to the men who persisted with the format of this competition. When it was first launched in 1995, it was initially viewed as an interesting sidekick to the domestic fare. In the early years, the English in particular viewed outings against Celtic sides as a step down from their national league.

The tournament hit crisis point in the 1998/99 season, when though Bath were champions, no English side participated due to dissatisfaction with its format.

But men like Tom Kiernan and the late Vernon Pugh kept the competition alive. When English teams speak of the step-up in standards when playing Heineken Cup, it must bring a wry smile to the inaugural tournament organisers.

Last weekend we were treated to four contests of high intensity, dominated by passion, skill and fanatical support. A measure of the standard of the four semi-finalists is that each one can lay serious claim to winning the competition outright. This has not always been the case.

On closer examination, the remaining squads are littered with individuals who this season alone have tasted success at the highest level yielding World Cup-winners medals, Grand Slams and Triple Crowns.

On Friday night at Stradey Park, Biarritz confirmed the promise shown in the Pool stages in beating Leinster and Sale. In the history of the competition, few teams have managed away wins at the quarter-final stage. Biarritz now join that select group.

Beating Llanelli on their home turf is no easy task. They have been the most consistent of the Welsh sides in this competition, yet were comprehensively beaten by a team that has grown better and better as the tournament has progressed.

When one considers that they contain five players who contributed to the French Grand Slam, this should not come as a surprise. In Serge Betsen they have the most effective back row forward in world rugby. With the possible exception of Stade’s Ignacio Corleto, Nicolas Brusque has been the most consistent full-back in the competition while the French reserve half-back partnership of Dmitri Yachvili and Julien Peyrelongue provide experience in this most important sector of the field.

On Saturday in Thomond Park, I met the great French full-back Serge Blanco, who played his club rugby for Biarritz. He made it clear that they would have no inhibitions about facing champions Toulouse in the semi-final. The fact that it is being played in nearby Bordeaux gives them further cause for hope.

In the second quarter-final the holders disposed of a spirited Edinburgh side by 36-10, without ever reaching top gear. Toulouse, as Munster know to their cost, have a side sprinkled with French internationals, including captain Fabien Pelous along with current half-backs Elissalde and Michalak.

What made their victory more remarkable was that both were unavailable due to injury. Even with them back in harness, Biarritz are more than capable of producing a shock result.

While Munster confirmed their pre-match favourite’s tag in disposing of Stade Français, the result was closer than anticipated. Stade have always been a quality team but failed to deliver on the big stage. On Saturday they nearly pulled off a shock result.

However when one considers the limited preparations of Munster, this win will stand to them for the semi-final.

Make no mistake, Munster require two monumental performances to win the Heineken Cup. This was confirmed when watching the quality of Wasps’ display when annihilating Gloucester at the Causeway Stadium on Sunday. From the outset of this competition, Wasps are the team that have concerned me most as a threat to Munster’s day in the sun.

Having played Gloucester on four occasions over the last 12 months, Munster will appreciate more than most the quality of Wasps’ performance last weekend. A scoreline of 34-3 and a five-try tally is a fair reflection of their dominance. Moreover, the fact that two tries were scored from driving mauls by the forwards shows that not only do they possess an abundance of pace out wide, they also have a forward unit capable of mixing it with the best.

In some respects I was happy Wasps won the game so comprehensively. Public expectation seems to suggest that because Munster have a home semi-final, their Twickenham berth was secure.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Nobody will appreciate this more than Alan Gaffney and his squad. The nature of Wasps’ victory over the Cherry and Whites will ensure that any degree of complacency within the squad or on the terraces should now be laid to rest.

The one plus factor with Wasps as semi-final opponents is the fact that their comparatively small support base is only seeking 4,000 tickets.

This should ensure that all those loyal supporters who failed to gain access to Thomond Park last weekend should be more than satisfied on this occasion.

When Ulster played Colomiers in the final at Lansdowne Road in 1999, the colour and atmosphere was truly remarkable.

Sunday week promises to be even better. It should be a fantastic weekend for European rugby.